Another World
by ariannalupin
Summary: What if, for every choice we made a new world was created reflecting the opposite choices? What if one of those worlds needed our help? Sequel to Time to Heal and Love HPSB RLOC
1. An Interesting Beginning

**AN: This is a sequel to Time to Heal and Love. I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from that series. I am installing a minimum of three reviews per chapter before I post. This story is dedicated to my dedicated reviewers from my last story, imakeeper and smittyloveshpfic. **

**An Interesting Beginning**

_What if, for every choice we made a new world was created reflecting the opposite choices? What if one of those worlds needed our help? _

In what was a familiar sight in the Ministry Arianna Potter-Lupin was seen striding down the hall with a phoenix perched on her shoulder and two Aurors and a large grim-like dog trailing behind. One of those Aurors was Draco Malfoy, head of security for the Minister; the other was Ginny Weasley. Arianna was not having a good day. Tomorrow was the 5th anniversary of Voldemort's defeat and the ministry was in a flurry of activity, and as the Minister of Magic Ria was in the thick of everything. Her husband Remus was also driving Ria close to insanity, because he wanted her to take more time off work and relax now that she was six months pregnant with their first child. After a lifetime of action this life-style was boring Ria to tears. There was no evil Dark Lord trying to take over the world, no rogue DE's, no most creatures were treated fairly and the others were on their way there, the wizarding world was doing the best it had in a long time. At the moment Ria was on her way to an emergency meeting called by her brother, who was head of the Unspeakables; and Ron, who was head of the DMLE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry Potter-Black sat at his desk staring at the man sitting across from him. The man was flanked by two of the best Aurors in the business, Neville Longbottom and Vincent Crabbe. At a knock on the door Harry allowed his best friend, former partner, and now Head of the DMLE to come in. The man who was the center of all the commotion was staring almost wide-eyed at everyone and everything he could. This fact alone added credence to his tale. Finally Harry's secretary knocked on the door, "Sir, Minister Lupin is here to see you." At that statement the man's head snapped around in shock, Harry answered, "Thanks Kathy, show her in please." The man in the chair looked confused at the use of a female pronoun when referring to Ria, making Harry want to believe him more.

Ria nodded to Kathy as she was ushered into her brother's office. She smiled and greeted him before asking him what all this was about. Harry gestured in the direction of the man sitting in the chair before him and using Jalen she turned to look at him. She stared for a minutes before turning back to Harry and demanding an explanation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Flashback)

Harry was walking by one of the research rooms when he heard the intruder alarm go off in the veil room. He wondered who would want to be in the room with a veil no one had any notion of how it worked. He took off running, sending the Unspeakable closest to him off to get Ron and have him meet in the room. The black veil had always fascinated Harry, and he wondered what was going on.

Harry opened the door to the room and saw a group of six Unspeakables standing in a half-circle around a man with a haggard appearance. The man's hair was long and unkempt, going down to the small of his back. He looked as if he hadn't bathed, shaved, or eaten in days. What startled Harry was the pair of very familiar eyes staring out from under that hair, eyes that he saw everyday. "Drop your wand." The man did so without a second thought, tossing his wand in Harry's direction, Harry bent down and picked the wand up- it was also a wand he was familiar with- confusing Harry even more than he already was.

Harry gave a signal to his men and they gathered up the man and escorted him to the office where Harry sent out a message to his sister.

(End Flashback)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ron, did you bring Veritaserum?"

"Yes Ria. Now sir, do you agree to be questioned under Veritaserum?"

"I do. Anything to get you to believe me."

"I need witnesses for these proceedings, Ron you are ineligible since you will administering the Veritaserum." Everyone nodded his/her understanding to Ria. Ron took out an automatic quill and a roll of never-ending trial parchment to record the proceedings. "As Minister of Magic I hereby grant permission for this voluntary use of Veritaserum in determining of the identity of this man, and witness this proceeding."

"I, Draco Malfoy, head auror of the Ministers personal force, do hereby witness this proceeding."

"I, Ginny Weasley, auror on the Ministers personal force, do hereby witness this proceeding."

"I, Harry Potter-Black, Head Unspeakable, do hereby witness this proceeding."

"I, Neville Longbottom, unspeakable, do hereby witness this proceeding."

"I, Vincent Crabbe, unspeakable, do hereby witness this proceeding."

"I, Ron Weasley, Head of the DMLE, do hereby swear that I will give only the recommended dose of Veritaserum and that I will stop the questioning at the first sign of distress by the man in question."

"Proceed, Ron."

At Ria's command Ron administered 3 drops of Veritaserum to the haggard man sitting in front of him, and began to ask questions.

"What were you doing in the veil room?"

"I came through the veil to this place."

"Why would you go through the veil?"

"I was sent to get help."

"Where do you come from?"

"I come from a world parallel to this one."

"Why do you need help?"

"Our only hopes have died. The Dark Lord is taking over. Any who oppose him are outcasts. We barely get enough to eat. The light is failing in our world."

"Why did you choose this world?" Harry cut in.

"The spell was to send me to the world that had the most peace, that was controlled by light wizards, and that had the best ability to help. So I didn't choose, it just happened that this was the world that I fell into."

"Finally, what is your name?"

"My name is Sirius Orion Black."


	2. Leaving and Arriving

**AN: Whenever the two Sirius's are in the room the one from this world is Sirius and the other is Padfoot.**

**Sorry it took so long. I was having trouble with the site.**

**Leaving and Arriving**

(_Last Time)_

_"What is your name?"_

_"Sirius Orion Black."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group in the room stared in shock at having this man's identity confirmed. Ria quickly gave the order for the Veritaserum to be countered. She had the group follow her to her office where she quickly told her secretary that she was taking the rest of the day off, as were the six accompanying her. "Sirius floo to 'Hogwarts- Lupin Den' alright?" Sirius nodded and followed Harry through the floo. Everyone but Neville and Vincent went through to the Lupin's rooms in Hogwarts.

Once in her rooms Ria called for an elf and proceeded to order up a lunch for everyone along with some tea. Padfoot fell upon the food that was delivered as if he hadn't eaten in a week, which from what the others understood could very well be true. Ron went to floo 'Mione, who came over as soon as she got off work.

When Remus and Sirius walked into the room after the staff meeting an hour later that was the scene they walked in on. Remus spoke up, "Um, Ria, sweetie, not that I'm complaining, but why are we having a mini-party in our rooms?" Ria jumped in surprise, she hadn't noticed the door open, "Oh, um, well something happened at work-" Remus cut her off, "Are you okay? You weren't injured-" Ria rushed to reassure him with a quick kiss, "No Rem, I'm fine. What happened was some one came through the black veil." "Who?" Sirius asked. Harry answered him, "It was you Siri, well a you from a different dimension. He came here looking for help. Something happened in his world that caused the light to nearly fail." Both of the older men turned to look at the one man they hadn't recognized. Now that they knew who it was, both could see the resemblance and proof that this man had lived through some very hard times.

"So what does he want?" Remus asked. Ron answered him, "Remus he wants us to help him." "So let me get this straight, he wants us to go to an alternate dimension to fight a war we have already won, at great risk to ourselves?" "Sirius I'm surprised that you figured it out so well by yourself, but that is what he wants and what we are going to do." "Hey, I resent that Harry, love, I am perfectly capable of thinking for myself. So you really want to go." "I think we should. Think of all the things we could learn." "'Mione, this is not a learning venture. We are going to go and help these people win a war." "Yes, Yes, Ron I know that, but we can learn things while we are doing that as well." "Well, who is going?" "Well I figured Flame, Mutt, Sneak, and I were givens as were you and Sirius, Rem, Draco and Ginny as well if they want. Maybe a few others if we get volunteers. And don't you say anything about me going, Remus John Lupin." "Fine, Fine."

Padfoot was watching these proceedings with a slightly stunned expression on his face. He seemed to be trying to absorb everything he possibly could about these new people, yet old faces. They had something about them that made him realize, that while they were happy now, all had dark memories that they needed to get over. They would help him, and for that he was forever grateful.

Sirius walked over to Padfoot and asked him, "Do you have any questions or concerns you would liked addressed before we all get ready to leave?" "No, I think it might be easier if you told your stories once we have everyone together in my world." "Right, well then I guess it would be best for your story to be told at the same time."

The next few days were spent trying to get everything ready to go. Remus and Sirius told the Headmistress to find substitutes; Ria, Harry, and the rest called into their respective offices and appointed people to fill in their position for an undetermined amount of time. The official reason for this was that the Unspeakables had found out that a new Dark Wizard was rising and had already targeted the hero's of the last war. Ria called the Wizengamot into session and had them vote in an emergency minister. A public statement was made and the Wizarding populace was given the option to vote in a new minister or wait for Ria to return, they voted for Ria to return. "We will be able to come back right?" "Of course, anytime you want to."

Exactly a week later a group of 11 people, and eight animals were standing next to the black veil. This group consisted of 2 Sirius's, Remus, Harry, Ria, Ron, 'Mione, Draco, Ginny, Snape, and Neville. They had packed about two dozen bags full of shrunken and preserved food, which were also shrunk and had feather weight charms, to help with the starvation it seemed the other worlders faced. Padfoot had spent the last day teaching them the incantation to bring them to his home world. According to him it would feel as if they were floating across a calm river, all they had to do was keep their destination in mind so they are pulled along the right current.

Padfoot went first and the others followed in pairs, going with the two most powerful (Harry and Ria) at the front. When they reached the other side the group took a look around and saw destruction. There was no other word for it, all around the veil there were crumbling stone and plants had begun to grow between the cracks. The ministry itself had collapsed to the point that the veil room was out in sunlight. Padfoot started to walk north when Ria whipped out her wand and turned around to face a group, covered in cloaks, that appeared to be as world weary as Padfoot. Seeing her movements the other 10 followed her actions and all had their wands out in a second, ready to attack. Padfoot pushed to the front and said what seemed to be a code, "It is not easy," with that the other wizards lowered their wands, which had been drawn when Ria drew hers. It took more for the Bandits and their friends to lower their wands, but with assurances from Padfoot they did so cautiously.

After seeing all this, Albus Dumbledore walked out from the back of the group of wizards and motioned for all of them to follow him. They were led to an old warehouse, about three miles away, in what used to be muggle London. Once there all of the wizards from that world put their hands to the door and whispered a password, Dumbledore then had each of the group of ten place their right hands on the door and he overrode the system to allow them in for now without a password. Once inside the group of wizards removed their cloaks and for the first time Harry and Ria laid eyes on their parents.


	3. Swapping Names and Stories

**AN: Remember I require a mandatory 3 reviews per chapter before I post again.**

**I don't own the original Harry Potter characters, what they have become in my story is all my imagination.**

**Swapping Names and Stories**

_(Last Time)_

_Once there all of the wizards from that world put their hands to the door and whispered a password, Dumbledore then had each of the group of ten place their right hands on the door and he overrode the system to allow them in for now without a password. Once inside the group of wizards removed their cloaks and for the first time Harry and Ria laid eyes on their parents._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry and the others let out a surprised gasp when they saw James and Lily standing there. It was then that they looked at the others in the room. They saw many faces of people who had died in both the first and second war. Albus gestured for them to lower their cloaks, but Ron shook his head and suggested that they all introduce themselves first, then the group would lower their cloaks as they said their names. Albus nodded his assent and gestured to a large table where everyone sat.

He opened the introductions, "I am Albus Dumbledore, head of the OoTP and former headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin 1st class."

The introductions went around, the members included:

McGonagall

Flitwick

Weasley family except Ron

Moony

Padfoot

The Zabini Family

Pettigrew

Longbottoms- not including Neville

Parkinson Family

Sprout

Regulus Black

Moody

The Changs

The Diggorys

Fleur and her family

Then they came upon Sirius, "I am Sirius Black, Co-Professor of DADA at Hogwarts, co-commander of the Red Team, Order of Merlin 2nd class." At the end of his introduction he lowered his hood and the people from that world looked at Padfoot for conformation, he nodded. Albus gestured for the group to finish their introductions. Next to Sirius was Remus, "I am Remus Lupin, Co-Professor of DADA at Hogwarts, Co-commander of the Red team, Order of Merlin 2nd class," then Ginny, and Neville, when Draco and Severus introduced themselves there was an uproar from the Phoenixes. Albus told them to quiet down and wait until the end of the introductions to ask questions. Finally it was the Bandits turn to introduce themselves, at the same moment all four removed their hoods and 'Mione began, "Hermione Weasley or Sneak, Head of Medical Research at St. Mungos, ¼ of the Bandits, Order of Merlin 1st class," "Ron Weasley or Mutt, Head of DMLE, ¼ of the Bandits, Order of Merlin 1st class," "Arianna Potter-Lupin or Shadow, Minister of Magic, ¼ of the Bandits, 2nd in command of our Order of the Phoenix, Order of Merlin 1st class," "Harry Potter-Black, Head Unspeakable, ¼ of the Bandits, Head of our Order of the Phoenix, Order of Merlin 1st class." At the end of those four introductions the Phoenixes were absolutely silent.

James was the first to break the silence, "No fucking way! It's unbelievable that Sirius would find another world with them."

Ria answered, "I resent being called a liar, we are who we say. And yes, Padfoot did fall into our world, thank god, life was getting extremely boring." That caused her group to chuckle slightly. Albus then took over again, "well now that we all know each other, maybe we could exchange stories." Harry took up as spokesperson again, "That would be fine, but first we have some supplies for you," the group took out their bags and handed the to Molly Weasley, she un-shrunk them to find enough food for two years, medical potions, potion ingredients, clothing, and plenty of other things that would be useful. The Phoenixes got to work putting everything away and said many thank-you's for the supplies. Molly, Lily, Poppy, Sprout, and a few other women made dinner for the group, once it was done everyone sat down and began their tales.

"Why don't you tell us your story," Albus prompted. Ria began, "Alright, I guess our story begins in June 1980, when a prophecy was made said

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him_

_Born as the seventh month dies_

_And the dark lord shall mark him as his equal_

_But he will have a power the dark lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hands of the other_

_For neither can live while the other survives_

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches_

_Born as the seventh month dies_

At the time this prophecy was heard two children fit the criteria. One was Harry and the other was Neville. We were born to Lily and James Potter on July 31st 1980. Sirius was named our godfather, and we all lived in Godric's Hollow. Of course Dumbledore had us go into hiding under the Fidelus Charm, this is where things go bad, Jams and Lily had decided originally to use Sirius as their secret keeper, but at the last minute they changed their mind and choose Peter thinking that it would be a clever ruse. So they switched and let everyone else believe that Sirius was still the secret keeper. On October 31st 1981 Peter betrayed our location to Voldemort and he came to the Hollow. No one knows for sure what really happened; Harry and I hear parts of it when Dementors are close first you, James told Lily to take us and run while you faced down Voldemort. Lily was unable to escape and Voldemort trapped her in the nursery. He told her to stand aside and let him kill us, but she refused and he killed her next. Then he turned his wand on Harry, he fired the killing curse and it rebounded off Harry and hit him, destroying his body and his powers, but he was still alive. Sirius and Hagrid were the first to arrive on the scene and Hagrid took us while Sirius went after the rat. When Pettigrew was cornered he yelled out for the street to here that Sirius betrayed Lily and James and then he fired a curse, cut off his own finger and transformed before scurrying off into the sewers. Sirius was arrested minutes later and sent to Azkaban without a trial. Meanwhile Dumbledore left us on the doorstep of Aunt Petunia's house where we spent 10 dark and difficult years before we found out we were magical. Our first year at Hogwarts was interesting it started off with (here insert book one-four). Fifth year everything changed. Fudge was refusing to believe Voldemort had returned and began dragging our names through the mud. Dumbledore, Harry, and I were portrayed as crazy, attention seeking, and liars. For a whole year nothing was being done by anyone except the Order of the Phoenix. At school we had a ministry appointed DADA teacher who taught us nothing, therefore we started a secret group for the year. Everything was going well besides that until a Hogsmeade trip on May 5th when Tom made his move and managed to kidnap me. I was taken to his stronghold and-and…"

Remus had to take over here; "She was tortured for two months we couldn't get to her until July. He used her to lure the Order to the Department of Mysteries to get the prophecy. The Order went to the DOM and managed to get Ria without giving up the prophecy." Harry picked up the trail here, "Ria stayed unconscious until the 30th and when she awoke we were informed that all four of us were to be fully inducted into the Order, not partial like the year before. On our b-day Sirius and Remus gave us Snuffles and Edana, two of our familiars, and explained the sight spells to Arianna. We began our full training that day, before we had had extra lessons but nothing all consuming, and we officially got to move in with Remus and Sirius. Ron and 'Mione moved in as well. On August 20th Dumbledore was assassinated in Hogsmeade, Fawkes chose me as the new leader of the Order and Arianna as my second. That day Remus and Sirius officially named us the Bandits and we became a combat team. When school started we went, but none of us had regular classes. Instead different teachers and Order members came each day to continue our training. By Christmas holidays we were able to beat all our teachers and had begun to go on missions to draw Tom out of hiding and the Bandits are responsible for the arrest of 312 DE's and 20 of them are from the inner circle. The Red Team was formed to be our backup during these missions. On Christmas day we achieved our animagus forms. We continued on this way until September 1st 1997 when Tom attacked Hogwarts. I fought him and won. After the battle the grief the four of us felt made our magic unstable and sent us to the past to recuperate. While in the past (insert _Time to Heal and Love _here) then we all worked our way to the positions we have today."

"Wow, that's an impressive story. Now it's my turn," Dumbledore had taken up the story, "Our world's story begins much the same way yours does. The difference was the fact that our Peter Pettigrew did not betray the Potters. He was captured and tortured, but he did not give up any information. When he was rescued a month later, the Potters changed their keeper to Remus and they remained safe for a few years. Eventually we felt that it would safe for them to come out from under the charm, but ready to go back if anything happened. This was when their twins were seven. For a year they were safe, no attacks or anything, then on the twins birthday an attack was made to Godric's Hollow and Arianna was killed. Not even two months later, a day before they went back under the charm Harry was killed with the killing curse. Four months after that Neville Longbottom was killed while shopping with his parents. So in our world the two who fit the prophecy were murdered. A year after Neville's murder, Hogwarts fell and Voldemort took control of the British wizarding world. Two years after that point he gained control of the muggle government as well. His laws have been leading to muggle hunts, slave auctions, and deaths. He has begun trying to take over the rest of Europe and the world. We spent the last two years trying to stop him, and researching a way to travel to a different universe based on my theory from when I worked as an unspeakable. Last week we sent Sirius here into the veil to retrieve help."

"Shit," Harry whistled, "well what do you want from us? Do you want us to plan, train you, actually defeat Tom?"

"We want you to train us, to do everything you can to help us beat him."

"Well, if that's what you want, do you have a training room?" Ria picked up the conversation with Dumbledore. "Yes, it's down the hall, at the end of the complex." "Anyone who wants training needs to meet us there tomorrow morning at 7:00. Now it's very late, would you mind if we continued any conversations in the morning?" Not at all young lady, we have six rooms prepared for you." "Thanks, but we'll only need five of them for the moment."

Dumbledore nodded and the marauders plus Lily led the group down the hallway. As she walked Ria removed her cloak, catching the attention of Lily who walked over to her and placed a hand on her stomach, "How far along are you?" Lily whispered. "Six months." Lily smiled at her daughter and continued walking next to her, with her hand Ria's stomach waiting to feel the baby kick. Finally they arrived at a wing that contained six rooms and had a commons area that they branched off of. 'Mione and Ron took the first room, Harry and Sirius next to them, then Ria and Remus, Severus and Neville skipped a room and took the second to last one, finally Draco and Ginny took the last room. Ria immediately went into her room to lie down and Remus followed her, the others stayed in the common room for a little while. Before the marauders left they asked Severus why he had skipped a room, "Well, I figured the wolves could use it for a nursery when their spawn is born." "Sev don't say things like that in front of these people, they don't know that you mean no harm when you say those kinds of things," Neville reprimanded his lover. "Fine, when Ria and Remus have their kid in three months they can use the extra room for a nursery. Better?" "Yes." The boys nodded for a moment before his words sunk in and Remus, James, and Peter quickly snapped their heads to the others for conformation that Ria was indeed pregnant. The others nodded their heads, said their goodnights and began going into their rooms.


	4. Impressions

**AN: PLEASE READ- I am starting a poll for Ria's baby's gender and name. Please vote and review. Offer a few names for the kid. Thanks.**

**Impressions**

The remaining order members watched as their guests were shown down the hall to their wing. Each one had different thoughts as to what this meant for the war effort. Albus called a new meeting to order as the marauders and Lily returned from showing them to the rooms. "Well what do you think of these people?" Padfoot was the first to answer, "I have spent the most time with them and I feel confident that they will be able to help us to the best of their abilities. I saw them training and living their lives for a week, even if it was hectic because of our departure. Ria is a natural born leader; she is in control of their missions and of their world. Ron is a planner; his strategies and techniques are unmatched. Hermione is the brains behind their force; she does all the research and figures out what is going on. Harry is their power and heart; he is what they rally around and who fights the battles. Together those four are a force to be reckoned with."

Lily spoke up, "I talked to Ria on the way to their rooms, and she is very brave and very foolish. Can you believe that she actually jumped dimensions while six-months pregnant. I mean that is so ridiculous." The women all shook their heads at that, but most were smiling at the thought of having a child around again. It had been a long time since any of them had thought that they could live a normal life. James spoke up, "I think that to her being with her family, and that's what those people are to each other, was the most important thought in her mind when she came. I talked to Malfoy and Snape and those two are different from the two we know. They still behave similarly, but there is no malice behind their words, just snarkiness. Wow, I just said we could trust Snape, what is the world coming to."

Dumbledore stood, "Sirius, what bout their animals?" "Well, Ria's are a phoenix and dog. She uses them to see and get around. All the big animals are trained for battle. Harry had a snake that he can talk to; in their war he used it for spying. Hermione used her cat for the same purpose. The birds are used as messengers and scouts, because Ria can spell them so she can see through their eyes." Dumbledore then addressed the order, "Well, I think that it is late and we should all go to sleep. Active members please report to the training room at 7:00 to take them up on their offer to train us. We will see what they can teach us and how much help they can give us tomorrow." The order members stood and dispersed to their rooms.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a different part of the complex Sirius and Harry were lying awake in their bed after making love. Both of them needed the relief the act would bring, and coming from the absolute silence of silencing charms they guessed the other couples needed it as well. So much had happened over the last week. While he was getting everything ready it had slipped Harry's mind that his parents would be here. Well, they weren't his parents, but they were close enough to cause his heart to hurt. He rolled over to look at Sirius, wondering what he was thinking, even after all this time Sirius still blamed himself for the deaths of James and Lily. "Siri, are you alright?" "I don't know Harry love, on one hand it's great to see everyone again, but I was getting over everything. I was happy with you and our family, even Snape, and now everything is out of whack." "I'm sorry love maybe we shouldn't have come. This is all my fault." "No it's not Harry, we needed to do something. We all know that life was becoming extremely dull at home and one of us, most likely Ria, was going to do something bad to make life interesting soon. Listen I am happy with you. I am over their deaths. Yes it will always hurt, but I have to move on and be content with my life." "Thanks Siri, I love you." "Love you too Harry."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus stood in the doorway connecting the bathroom to his bedroom watching as his mate slept with an arm draped over their cub. He had never been so happy in his life than the day he found out he would be a father. He knew that he drove Ria to madness with his incessant worrying, but she was giving him something he never thought he would have. By the time he was fifteen there were laws already passed that made it illegal for him to get married and have children, when Arthur was made minister and the laws changed his life had improved so much. He had watched the jealousy flare in the other Remus's eyes at the thought that he had a wife and a family. Seeing James and Lily again had been hard on both him and Ria. He knew that if she weren't pregnant and worn out, Ria would have been seeking reassurance from his touch tonight. As it was she was still tossing and turning in her sleep, which meant that tonight would be spent dealing with nightmares. He walked over to the bed and lay next to her, almost immediately she had rolled over and cuddled into his side. Remus draped an arm over her, resting his hand on his cub and she settled down into sleep, Remus following soon after.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In their wing the marauders and are assimilating everything they have seen and heard in the last few hours. Padfoot was bombarded with questions that he answered to the best of his abilities. Both he and Moony are sulking though because their counterparts are happy and have found people to spend the rest of their lives with, even if the two were Harry and Arianna. James and Lily were ecstatic to see their children, though they are different. Hopefully over time they would get to know them and form some type of bond, even if it would only be for a little while. Soon they five went into their rooms and went to sleep, excited by what the next day will bring.


	5. And So It Begins

**AN: Two chapters until Ria gives birth. If you want a say in the gender or names of the baby please vote in your review.**

**And So It Begins**

The next morning order members staggered out from the wings, after turning off multiple alarm spells and other things that they had set to wake them up in time for the training they had been promised last night. For most of them it was way too early in the morning to be up, but they knew better than to complain. As the members made their way into the training room, most stopped in awe and shock at what they were seeing. On one half of the room Ron and 'Mione were fighting against Harry, in a corner on the other half Draco, Ginny, and Neville had targets set up and were practicing their aim with both spells and daggers, in the last corner Severus, Remus, and Sirius were switching off practicing sword fighting and dueling, two would fight and one would ref before switching over, finally Ria was walking between all the groups offering comments and help to everyone.

Ria heard Snuffles whine and then he turned his head toward the door and she saw the order members standing there and watching with gaping expressions. She turned to them and beckoned them into the room. As they walked forward a spell came hurdling toward Ria, and before the group could even process the spell, Ria had tossed up a strong shield around herself and the group, and then she turned to Harry and began yelling at him to be more careful where he aimed his spells.

Ria called a halt to the training and the others of the group came over to her. She then split up the order members into pairs and assigned each pair a watcher from the group. Each person was tested and rated so that she would know how to train them and what to train them in. Afterwards the two groups split up and left to go shower and change before meeting in the dining hall for breakfast. Dumbledore called a meeting when breakfast was over so that they could question Draco and Severus to find out why they changed sides and whether or not they were trust worthy. Even though the dimension travelers were slightly insulted by this questioning of judgment they understood the need for it and allowed the questions.

Severus told his story first, "In our world I became a Death Eater at the age of 17. My grandfather forced me into it, and I didn't see a way out of it. Two years after graduation Voldemort ordered me to find get a job at Hogwarts. I went to Dumbledore and pled with him not to hire me. I told him my story and he offered to help me. In exchange for his protection I would spy on the ranks of Voldemort and teach potions. To make sure I wasn't lying he had me swear an unbreakable vow to never betray him and later on he added to my vow a condition to do everything I could to protect Neville and the Potter twins. I resented that they had been included in the vow and I treated them very badly because of it. In a way it did protect them and me because when Voldemort rose again it was not suspicious for me to be mean to the Boy-Who-Lived and company. When the twins started training I was offered a place on the Red team and I gladly accepted it. It got me out of my spy role and into safer territory. I have never regretted my decision to support the light and I never will."

For the first time Frank Longbottom spoke up, "I believe that your intentions are good, but how did you start dating my son." Neville answered his father, "Even though Harry was the chosen one I was still in danger from Voldemort and his forces. In our world my parents were tortured to insanity by Death Eaters after the fall of Voldemort. I was also hit with a cruciatus and it blocked my full potential. Fifth year the effects of the curse began wearing off, and even though I am not as powerful as the twins I am very close. So I got training just as the twins did and my most frequent trainer was Severus. Over the years we grew close and things just happened." The order members nodded their heads and gave Severus small smiles, it seemed like they had accepted him.

Now it was Draco's turn, "Until the beginning of my sixth year at Hogwarts I truly accepted that I would be a loyal Death Eater. My father was a controlling man who refused to let anyone rebel against him; the consequences for disobeying him were harsh. When Ria was rescued from the Department of Mystery my father was captured and put into Azkaban. My mother, who had never had a big role in my life, began to show me what exactly becoming a Death Eater would entail. Over that summer I was forced to reexamine many of my beliefs and where they came from. By the time I returned to school I already knew that I would not pledge loyalty to Voldemort, but I didn't know if I would fight on the light side. I spent the year watching the twins, 'Mione, and Ron trying to see if they were worth my efforts. I saw the unending efforts they put into everything that year and I offered a truce to them in exchange for a meeting with the Head of the Order. Since the head was Harry we met that night and I explained to him about what I had seen over the summer. Using my information the aurors were able to arrest about 20 DE's and I was offered protection. Eventually I joined the Red Team and became Ria's personal guard. I continue that post today. I am also engaged to Ginny here."

As he finished his tale Albus called for attention once again, "Well, it seems that you both are sincere in your devotion to helping those you care about. We are able to trust you because of this. Thank you for being truthful. Does anyone have anything else they would like to speak about at this time?"

Remus spoke up here, "I don't really want to bring this up, but we need to talk about what to do on the full moon." Moony answered him, "You will join me in the cellar, and everything is safe down there. There are locking charms and bars on the doors so we can't get out." "Wait, why would I lock myself up?"

At the others horrified looks 'Mione realized something, "Remus, they don't have the Wolfsbane potion here. There is no way for this Moony to be controlled like yours is. Severus did you bring enough ingredients for two potions?"

"Yes, I have enough for two batches for three years." "Oops, I guess I should have realized that without Severus on the light side he wouldn't have had the opportunity to develop the potion."

Moony interrupted this dialogue, "What potion are you talking about?" Remus answered him, "It's a potion developed in 1986 in our world that lessens the pain of transformations into almost nothing and will allow the werewolf to keep his mind when in wolf form. When I brought up the full moon I was merely wondering if you had some way to get the potion. Obviously I did not think about the fact that Severus here was the one to develop it at the request of Albus in our world and therefore you wouldn't have it here."

Moony looked close to tears at the thought that he could transform with little pain and that he wouldn't be a danger to anyone. Lily was curious about this, "So what do you normally do on the nights of the full moon?" "Well usually I transform then spend the evening napping in front of the fire in our room while Ria works or reads. Then I will just curl up in bed like a normal dog and sleep until I transform back." "So Snape can make me the potion?" "Yes, I will make you a patch of potion." Moony looked ready to burst into tears at the thought of being spared the pain of the transformation, the other Marauders looked just as happy.

"On another note," Ron began, "we need to look at any and all maps and information you have." Albus smiled at the boy, "Of course, the library is down the hall on the left right before the training room. All of you are welcome to use it." 'Mione almost ran there as soon as the meeting was over, much to the amusement of her companions. Ron followed soon after to go over the changes in the layout of London and the rest of the Isle. Ria walked down the hall to a lounge she had seen and sat herself in a meditation position before sending Devlin, Ron's hawk, out to scan the areas with her watching from his eyes. Draco had followed her to keep watch in case anything happened. The others from the group began to, with Albus' permission, set up certain parts of the Headquarters, as they wanted it. Severus and Neville redid the potions lab, Harry and Sirius redid the training room, and Remus and Ginny helped out wherever they were needed, including making the old transformation room into something a little more comfortable for Moony to spend the night in. Moony wasn't comfortable enough with the idea of the potion to just trust it to do its job so he asked to stay locked behind the door for the first transformation.

Later that night, as the dimension travelers went to sleep, they were all content with the work they had gotten done today.


	6. Passing Time and a Vision

**AN: So here is the next chapter. Ria will give birth in chapter seven so its not too late to vote for what gender you want the baby to be. Please review.**

**Passing Time and A Vision**

The next month passed in the same way. Training and research were taking up most of the days. The full moon had passed and the whole order was relieved to see that the potion worked exactly like it should. Both Moony and Remus had come out of the transformation with little more than a few bruises. The order had watched with trepidation when Ria had emerged from her room followed by a transformed Remus and had sat down in the common with a book. The Marauders were ecstatic and they began treating Severus with respect.

In the training the groups were getting better. The order members had learned to trust and rely on the instincts and words of the Bandits and their company. Both the Bandits and the Red Team were undoubtedly the best duelers and strategists anyone in the order had ever seen. At the moment James, Moony, Lily and Padfoot were sitting in their common room talking about how Ria had shocked the order and saved the Marauders' lives.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Flashback_

_It was after dinner about three weeks after the group had arrived. Various order members were out scouting and gathering information. Most had returned and were sitting around the main commons talking and relaxing after a long day. Only one group had yet to come in. The four Marauders had been sent close to the forested area surrounding Voldemort's headquarters to see if they could scrounge up some potions ingredients that the new comers had not brought. It had taken longer then they expected to get deep enough into the forest to find the ingredients and they were now almost two hours late._

_Back at headquarters many were worried, but they were still relaxing and the only others missing were Harry and Ria who were in the library. All of a sudden a scream ripped through headquarters. The dimension travelers jumped up and ran toward the library and the others of the order followed them. When they got to the room they found Remus and Harry holding Ria as she screamed and twisted in their grasp. Just as suddenly as the screams started they stopped and Ria jumped up and ran towards the map calling for Jalen and Devlin as she ran. Harry began asking her rapid-fire questions about what she had seen, while Neville was explaining that Ria was a seer and her visions caused her pain for the duration of them. About a minute later Harry came rushing back to the group of people and quickly explained that Ria had seen an attack on the Marauders, she also knew where they were and the best way to get to them. Ria came over and told Ron that she had sent Devlin to find the exact spot those going to rescue them needed to go and then she said that Ron, 'Mione, Ginny, Harry, Sirius, and Neville were the best people to go and that they needed to leave now._

_The group nodded and was out of headquarters before most of the order had even processed everything. The minute that the group left Ria collapsed on the couch and Remus was next to her with a strengthening potion and a glass of water almost as quickly. Soon she had fallen asleep leaning against him. An hour later the group of rescuers and the Marauders came in and were shooed by Poppy to the infirmary where they were healed._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The Marauders had almost been caught in that scuffle, but they hadn't been thanks to the fighting skills and warning the others had given them. It had been the first time they had seen any of them in battle and it was a relief to see that none panicked and all could keep a level head.

With the help of the travelers the order was doing better than it ever had before. Two months after they had come, the order began to liberate a few of the small encampments in their area. These encampments weren't big enough to call villages; each had maybe twenty or thirty people living in them. The order provided them with food and medical help in exchange for information and a sentry system. Each day was starting to look brighter for the order and for the light side in this war.

Only one thing was marring this feeling of contentment that had fallen over headquarters. Somehow Voldemort had found out about the new people. He knew that there were somewhere between eight and ten travelers, and that some had fought in the scuffle outside his stronghold. He had issued arrest warrants for all of them and a reward for anyone with information. Severus had started making Veritaserum to keep questioning the people's loyalties.

But all of this was pushed out of peoples' minds on December 23. Headquarters had started getting a festive cheer in the air; small decorations were being put up. Ria was now 2 weeks past her due date and could barely move. At the moment she was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table just talking to the others in the order as they came through. Molly Weasley was standing at the stove and some of the other women were hovering around Ria making sure she was comfortable. When they had first done that she had nearly cursed them all to the best of her abilities, but now that she was so big the mere idea of moving that much was torture, so she let the women fuss over her state. Remus had just come in to check on her when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her abdomen. Poppy immediately recognized what was happening and Ria was helped down to the infirmary.


	7. The Newest Addition

**AN: Here's the next chapter. The naming problems are in loving memory of how my mother named my brother. It took three day and hundreds of suggestions before one of her friends walked in and named him Zachary. Also the name translation came from a baby book and Newest Addition**

Cries of pain permeated through headquarters, but for once these cries only signaled something good coming into the world. For once Ria's pain filled cries were brought on by something other than Voldemort. Remus was sitting next to her, his crushed in hers. It was probably broken in a few places. Ria had been in labor for seven hours and she seemed to have at least another hour to go. Every so often Remus would stick his head out of the room and give an update to those waiting.

For the last seven hours the Bandits, their companions, the Marauders, and Lily were waiting outside the infirmary for information on the baby. It was now two o'clock in the morning and most of the group was dozing off in their seats. James and Lily couldn't wait to be grandparents. They had spent the last month setting up the nursery for Remus and Ria, the only problem was that they had to choose neutral colors because the parents hadn't wanted to know the gender of the baby before it was born.

In the infirmary Ria was lying on the hospital bed, gripping Remus's hand in a vice like grip. She was sweaty, tired, and in pain. Silently she acknowledged that this wasn't as painful as some of the things she had to go through in the past, but out loud she swore violently and vowed to Remus to never, ever have sex with him again unless he was doubly sure he cast contraceptive charms. The baby they were having now was an accident, not that it wasn't welcomed, just unexpected. Remus was infuriating her by just sitting and smiling at her. He took all of her threats in stride and whenever she had a contraction he would endure her verbal and physical abuse without comment and a smile.

The contractions were finally getting very close together; Poppy walked over to check on Ria and declared her ready to start pushing.

"Push when I say, dear." She waited for the contraction to come, "Now push Ria." This went on for another hour before Ria gave one final push. Poppy asked Remus to cut the cord and after he did so Poppy took the baby to clean it up some. When Poppy walked back over she gave Ria her baby boy to hold. On December 24, 2002, at two a.m., Arianna gave birth to a sweet little boy.

Remus looked happily at his cub and his mate. The sight of his child awed him. He sat next to Ria on the bed and together they cooed over their child. In their minds nothing was as perfect as their child. Soon Ria began yawning and Remus leaned over to kiss her, telling her to go to sleep.

He took the baby into his arms and walked out of the infirmary to where the others were sitting. Harry was the first to notice him come out and he stood and made his way quickly over to see the bundle in Remus's arms. The others followed him over to Remus and soon the newest Lupin had a crowd of faces hovering above him. The child was passed around to all the people before they all began to file back to their rooms. By the time Remus went back into the infirmary it was three a.m. He put the baby back into the basinet, crawled up next o Ria, and went to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later both Remus and Ria were awakened by the child's cries. Remus got up and handed him to Ria so she could feed him for the first time. They sat watching and playing with the baby until he fell asleep. Once Remus had put him back in his basinet, he turned to Ria, "You know, we really need to name him." "Yes we do, but I just can't decide what I want his name to be." "Well, we'll talk about it in the morning, right now let's go back to sleep."

The next day was Christmas, and the celebration was in full spring. Ginny was taking all the pictures she could of the baby's first Christmas. Ria had moved back to her room, the baby had been moved into the nursery, and they still hadn't come up with a name. The names James, Arthur, and Albus had all been discarded. Ria didn't want her child to bear a name that would be associated with a memory of some one that he would feel obligated to live up to. She wanted a name that would fit where he came from and who he would become. Remus was just getting fed up with not being able to call his kid by a name.

Finally Lily walked into their room after the baby had been put down for his nap and suggested a perfect name to them, "Cuilean Alexander, which means Cub that protects man." Both Remus and Ria immediately like the name and so the baby Lupin got his name and all was well with that. The next order of business was to name godparents for the baby. Remus wanted to have two separate sets of godparents, one for their world and one for this world. So it was decided that if they accepted Moony and Padfoot would be named joint godfathers in this world and in their home world 'Mione and Ron would be named godparents.

So Cuil was welcomed into the world. He had grandparents, uncles, 4 godparents, and a bunch of people who would probably become extended aunts and uncles. He was a welcome addition to the order family and he would be spoiled out of his mind, especially by his grandmother, Molly Weasley, Alice Longbottom, and Poppy Pomfrey. Everyone swamped him with gifts for Christmas, and for once the outlook for the war was bright with hope.


	8. A Blow to Both Sides

**A Blow to Both Sides**

Harry, Sirius, Remus, Ria, and Cuil were the only ones left in Headquarters today, not even the two younger ones familiars were there. The rest of the order had gone to sabotage a supply and prisoner transport and Poppy was in the encampment helping a mother give birth. It was just after midday when a blast shook Headquarters. Ria went immediately to the nursery to get Cuil, who had been woken by the blast. The blasts continued, the four adults recognized them as the magical bombs that Voldemort had started using shortly after the mew year.

Ria was frantically trying to calm Cuil, who wouldn't stop screaming, when the biggest blast to date shook the building, causing it to start collapsing. Left with no other option, the five evacuated the building. Quickly trying to decide where to go, the continued bombings left them with no other option than to get to shelter. They ran to the nearest encampment and right into a group of waiting Death Eaters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in Scotland the other order members were fighting for supplies and the lives of prisoners. Voldemort had set up camps reminiscent of the Nazi concentration camps in WWII, and he sent all his political prisoners and captured rebels there. The camps were said to be death traps, and once a person went in they would never come out. To stop a transport was an amazing feat for the Order because it meant that they stole some of Voldemort's labor and also gained allies in those they saved. The transport they were stopping now not only had fifty prisoners, but also supplies meant to go to Voldemort's headquarters.

In the middle of the battle were Ron and 'Mione. Both had argued over going when Harry and Ria were staying behind, but they had been quickly convinced that the Order needed all the help it could get for a venture like this. They had both Harry and Ria's familiars with them. As the battle was winding up Jalen, Ria's phoenix, gave a sharp cry and flamed away. This was a bad sign; Jalen would only leave like that if something had happened to Ria.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regulus Black had been ordered to lead a stake out in one of the encampments that was rumored to be close to the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Regulus had been spying for the order for 20 years and never had he hated his life more than when he saw the bomb hit headquarters and five of those from the other world run straight into the trap while trying to escape the collapsing building.

As the five were surrounded he knew he needed to think fast to keep Cuil from being killed and the four adults from being taken prisoner. He did have specific orders to bring in anyone not recognized from the wanted lists, and since Remus and Sirius were duplicates of people in this world, he knew he could spare them, but Harry and Ria had to be taken in.

He stepped forward, "I have orders to bring in those two," he said pointing at Ria and Harry, "If you two come with us willingly we will let the other three go unharmed, if you don't then we will have no choice but to kill them and take you anyway." The four adults exchanged glances, and with tears streaming down her face Ria handed Cuil over to Remus and then she and Harry nodded to Regulus and handed themselves over. Regulus sent a message to the Death Eaters controlling the bombs and let them know it wasn't needed anymore. As the two were led away they glanced over their shoulders once and both Remus and Sirius could see tear tracks on their lovers' faces.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The order had finished cleaning up after the battle. They helped any who were wounded get stable enough to portkey out. Eventually everyone was ready to go and they gathered around the different portkeys. The activation words were said and they all felt the sharp tug on their navels before they landed. The order looked in shock at the scene that lay before them.

Headquarters had crumbled, all that was left of it were a few walls, the next thing they noticed was Remus and Sirius looking the worse for wear sitting against on of the remaining walls with Cuil sleeping on a conjured blanket, and the last thing they realized was that Ria and Harry were no where to be seen. 'Mione and Ron walked up to their teachers and after many questions finally got what had happened out of them. They couldn't believe it, they were only twenty minutes too late to save their friends. The order began putting their headquarters back together while the dimension travelers began to plan how to get their leaders back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry and Ria were led bound and gagged to a clearing in a forest about a mile from their headquarters. They did as they were told and sat on the ground waiting for what would happen to them next. Ria hadn't stopped crying since she had handed Cuil over to Remus, but she was at least crying silently. Harry on the other hand was trying to think of different ways to escape from this, but when he tried to use his wandless magic he found that his ties stopped him from doing so. Slowly his hope for a quick escape was draining away, and looking at his sister he knew that her hope was fading much faster than his.

Fifteen minutes later Regulus walked over to the two and tied what had to be a portkey onto their wrists. When it activated both were still kneeling on the ground with the Death Eaters surrounding them. When they landed they were staring up at the one place neither ever wanted to see again, Riddle Manor.


	9. Enter Voldemort

**AN: The evil Severus is referred to as Snape in the last part of this chapter.**

**Enter Voldemort**

_(Last Time)_

_Fifteen minutes later Regulus walked over to the two and tied what had to be a portkey onto their wrists. When it activated both were still kneeling on the ground with the Death Eaters surrounding them. When they landed they were staring up at the one place neither ever wanted to see again, Riddle Manor._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Death Eaters hauled the two to their feet and dragged the two toward the house. Regulus led the group through the Manor, until they reached the room Voldemort had set up as his throne room. It looked as if it had once been the formal sitting room, now it was done in what Harry referred to as dank, dark, and evil. The Death Eaters deposited the two prisoners onto the floor in front of the empty throne and spelled them into a kneeling position. Everyone except Regulus left, so the three were seemingly alone for the moment. Harry and Ria were placed just far enough away from each that they were unable to touch, so neither could offer the other support.

After an hour the door banged open and Lord Voldemort came sweeping in. Regulus dropped to knees in front of him, and Harry and Ria, who was looking through Harry's eyes, stared at Voldemort in open shock. This Voldemort looked nothing like the one they had dealt with in their world. He was tall, with black hair, piercing blue eyes, and aristocratic features. Nothing like the serpentine creature the other Voldemort had become. Both agreed that he more terrifying like this because he looked like a normal person, but with evil insanity marring his eyes and face.

He swept past the kneeling twins and ignored them except to run a hand down Ria's cheek as he passed her. At Voldemort's nod Regulus gave his report of the events that led to the capture of the twins. "Why didn't you bring in the others?" Voldemort demanded. "I'm sorry my Lord, but it seemed more important to bring you these two without loss of your forces than to try and fight them off." "Very well Black, you reasoning is sound for now. You are dismissed." As Regulus walked out of the room, Voldemort turned his full attention on the twins for the first time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regulus apperated back to headquarters as soon as he was dismissed from his audience with Voldemort. He needed to make his report and make sure everyone was okay. When he arrived he found that the outside walls and the roof of the building had been repaired. He walked through the door and had barely made it two steps into the house before he was bombarded with questions, which he answered to the best of his abilities, but he had no idea what was happening to the twins at the moment.

Neither Sirius nor Remus was speaking and Regulus couldn't blame them. They had just witnessed their lovers being carted off, by Death Eaters, in tears. Remus was holding onto Cuil as if he was the only thing keeping him sane. Cuil was whimpering knowing somehow that something was wrong. The other dimension travelers had maps of Riddle Manor and the surrounding area spread out on the table trying to think of the best way to get in and bypass the wards. Severus and Draco were both offering counters to the Dark Wards that surrounded the manor. James, Lily, Peter, Moony, and Padfoot were looking just as distressed as the travelers; all of them had thrown themselves into the tasks they had been assigned, doing anything to forget about what had happened anyway possible. Regulus walked over to them and began to help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With his full attention upon them the twins began to fear what exactly he was going to do to them. "Now we will start out with an easy question, what are your names?" He waited for them to answer, but when neither made any move to do so he began to get angry. "Answer me!" The twins shook their heads. "Well then I guess I will have to force it out of you," Voldemort snapped and a house elf appeared, he sent the elf to get Snape and McNair. When the two the men came in both adorned smirks when they saw the two young people at the feet of their lord. At his master's signal Snape walked over to Harry and administered a dose of Veritaserum to him. They waited for it to kick in, then Voldemort restated his question, but Harry fought the potion and he refused to answer again. After ten minutes it became apparent to the men that the Veritaserum would not have an affect.

They turned their attention to Ria, not bothering to counter the truth serum, instead letting Harry keep fighting it. Ria shrank back slightly from their gazes, but she couldn't move, her knees were bruised and she had milk wetting the front of her shirt. _"Imperio"_ Ria felt the lightness of the curse, _Tell me who you are, _**NO; **she threw him out of her head. "Well, well, two very strong opponents. I will break you both, so it would just be easier if you gave in now." Harry answered him, "You will never break us. I dare you to try your worse." "You speak, it's good to know you are not mute. Snape take the boy to a cell then come back." Snape bowed, grabbed Harry, and exited the room. McNair walked over to Ria and at the command of his lord removed her shirt. Both he and Voldemort were surprised to see that she was covered in scars that looked as if they came from many rounds of torture. Ria shivered as the cold dungeon air hit her skin and she wondered what they were going to do to her. She could no longer see anything, she heard the door open and footsteps walk toward the throne.

Voldemort noticed the frantic roving of her eyes, and smirked with the knowledge that this prisoner was in the dark about what they could and would do to her. He signaled his men to be silent and with a silencing charm on his feet he moved around until he was directly in front of Ria and then he reached forward and brushed her cheek with his hand causing Ria to flinch away from him. He kept stroking her cheek then Ria felt the cold metal blade of a knife reach out and cut a small line down the opposite cheek. "Now child, you wouldn't want us to mess up your pretty face, so tell us what we want to know." Ria vehemently shook her head, brining her cheek into contact with the blade again. "Don't be like that girl, you want to go back to your child don't you? Tell me who you are and why you're here and I will let you go back home." "I am me, and I am here because your sniveling servants took me away from my family and brought me here," Ria answered smiling cheekily. Voldemort slapped her hard for that, "Stupid child, you will not leave here alive." "Don't make promises you won't be able to keep." "I think I am going to enjoy breaking you little girl, you are pretty enough to be one of my toys. McNair take to the cell opposite of her companions." Ria was dragged out of the room, down multiple stone passageways, and into a cold, small room.


	10. It Continues

**AN: I know I haven't gotten my three reviews but I saw POTC last night and it got me excited and I couldn't sleep so I finished this chapter and decided to share my joy. I recommend that everyone go see Pirates though, but remember to think abstractly to understand it.**

**It Continues**

_(Last Time)_

_Ria was dragged out of the room, down multiple stone passageways, and into a cold, small room._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry lay shivering in he cell, out of the small opening in the middle, where the Death Eaters would push food once a day, he saw his sister sitting in a corner of her cell tears dripping from her face. It had been two days since they had been captured and so far they had both been left alone in their cells. He knew it would not last for much longer' if this Voldemort was anything like the one he knew then eventually he would become frustrated about something and take it out on his prisoners. Right as that thought passed through Harry's mind, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. They stopped in front of his and the door opened. The Death Eater grabbed Harry and dragged him before Voldemort.

Dropped to the ground in front of Voldemort, Harry quickly took up a defense stance. "Now boy, you will tell me everything I want to know." "Why would I do that?" "To save both you and your sister lots of pain." "We are not afraid of pain, we are used to it and it would take more than that to break either one of us." "Well we'll see about that. I discovered a spell recently though that I am trying at the moment, you see I cast it on your sister's cell and now she can hear everything that goes on in this room while your in it. Every pain filled scream and every time you beg me to stop. So let's begin."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus was feeding Cuil. It seemed that in the two days since the twins had been taken he had done nothing except take care of his baby. He couldn't eat or sleep; nothing could get his mind off his wife. At first Cuil had refused to eat anything, not used to a bottle and formula, but with much patience and assistance from Lily and Molly he had gotten food into his baby. Looking down he noticed Cuil was done so Remus picked him up, burped him, and rocked him to sleep. As he gazed down upon his sleeping child he couldn't stop the tears from making their way down his face as memories of Ria passed through his mind.

Moony was watching his counterpart with sympathy as he cried over his child. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going through his mind at the moment. In the time that the dimension travelers had been there, he had gone from jealous to overly protective of his other self and Ria. He felt that they were an extension of him and the life he wanted. And they understood how much they meant to him and he was so happy that he was named godfather of Cuil; it was like they were sharing their son with him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius watched as one of his oldest and dearest friends tried to lose himself in the task of caring for his son to escape his grief. How Sirius wished he could do that as well. Having the twins gone at the moment was worse than it had ever been before. Sure back in their war when the twins had been on missions or when Ria had been captured it had been nerve-wracking, but here they had no idea what to expect from a Voldemort who had never lost his power. He missed Harry so much, his brother had reported that Harry was fine at the moment, but that could change any minute knowing the twins' tendency to piss people off.

Padfoot offered all the support he could to his double. In the time he had known Harry he could see why his other self fell in love with him. Both twins have seen things that no one should at their ages and they did it all without parents or adult support until they were in their teens. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to worry day in and day out about your true love since he had never had one- lovers yes but he had never been in love with some one.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James and Lily were worried about their children. After their Arianna and Harry had died they had refused to grow attached to anyone else, but with the twins being there it was too hard to ignore the fact that these were different versions of their children. Harry and Ria had made it a point to get close to them and learn all they could about the family they never had. So now James and Lily were worrying none stop about the twins.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the dimension travelers had finally come up with a plausible plan. The plan consisted of getting the wards on the prison to drop so that Harry could transform and flame the two out of there. The only problem anyone could see was that it would take at least three months to be able to drop the wards subtly. First though, the group was going to send Edana, Harry's snake, into the prison to find both him and Ria and find out how they were doing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria sat in her cell still hearing Harry's screams in her mind. About an hour ago she had heard them drag him back to his cell, but she had not heard any movement yet. At time like this she wished more than ever that she still had her sight or at least something to bond to so she could see. The torture session had lasted nearly all day and because of that neither one of them was getting fed today. Ria wondered why Voldemort hadn't even been by to talk to her like he had with Harry every day. After his threats on the first day she felt sure that he would not be leaving her alone, but whatever the reason she was thankful that he was ignoring her for now.


	11. In Hell, Month One

**AN: Here is chapter 11. If you want chapter twelve I need three reviews or else I won't post. I will try to have two chapters ready to post by Friday, but I am leaving to go on vacation on Sunday so I will be busy. ENJOY! Oh just so you know at the end of this chapter the twins will have been captive 36 days.**

**In Hell, Month One**

It had been four days, four fucking days since Ria had had anything to eat or drink and she was starting to get desperate. She had never gone this long without water before, and now with all her breast milk drying up she was in pain on top of it as well. When Voldemort retrieved her from her cell she was actually kind of relieved.

When she arrived in front of Voldemort she was in a right state. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her breasts were swollen and in pain from her milk drying up, the cuts on her face were scabbed over, and the screams from Harry's tortures were still ringing in her ears.

She was pushed into a kneeling position and her hands were strapped to a table with her fingers splayed out. A voice spoke from in front of her, "Now little girl my spy in your order has told me your name. Your last name is concerning though, it means that you are married to a known werewolf. That is enough to get you sold into slavery, and you bore a half-breeds child." "Don't talk about his like that. He's more of a man than you are, at least he's never taken joy from hurting another." That comment and the conviction with which it was said earned Ria a thirty-second Crucio. She writhed under the curse, but she refused to scream. When it was lifted she spat the blood from her lip, which she had bitten to prevent screaming, in the direction of Voldemort's voice. He laughed at her.

"I'm going to ask you a question, and each time you refuse to answer I will break one of you fingers." He asked his questions and she refused to answer any of them. When he was done each one of her fingers were broken and turning nasty shades of black and blue.

Voldemort looked down at the girl, he refused to call her a woman because she seemed so innocent, he was torturing feeling glee at the sight of her trying to hold back her tears. He dismissed his servants shortly after he was done with his questioning and steered the girl so that she was kneeling at the side of his chair, where she remained while he summoned a house-elf to bring him dinner.

While he was waiting for his dinner he kept stroking Ria's hair and face. Every time he touched her Ria would flinch slightly, as if his touch caused her pain. "Little girl if you stop flinching I will give you something to eat." Ria tried her hardest to stop and finally she managed it and when his food came Voldemort fed her scraps and a glass of water as a reward.

Ria was stunned that she had followed his commands so readily, and that she had behaved like a- a- a, "Pet, I thought it would be harder to get you to obey, but a little hunger breaks you quickly." He hauled her to her feet, "Come now my pet time to go back to your cage." Voldemort walked her back down to the dungeons, and on his way out of them he stopped and cast a cruciatus on Harry.

The rest of the month flew by like that. No matter what had been done to her during the day, dinnertime found Ria spelled onto her knees at the side of Voldemort's throne. Sometimes she would only be there for a few minutes, other times she would be stuck there until he retired to his chambers late in the night. The only food she was allowed was the scraps that he would give her off his plate and that was a reward so sometimes she would go day without anything to eat. The thing that most disturbed Ria was that Voldemort would only call her pet or little girl or rarely child. It made her feel like he was humoring her instead of hurting her.

At the end of the month Ria had an unexpected visitor. Regulus had brought Edana into the manor with him and attached to her were letters from the others, in code, explaining the plan to get them out of there. The arrival of Edana also let Ria see for the first time in a month and she was grateful to have some one to talk to.

It had been six days since they had been captured before Harry heard them remove Ria from her cell. The other days they had come to speak with him, but now he guessed the roles were going to be reversed since he was proving to be very stubborn. Harry also knew that since the first time he had been questioned the DE's hadn't been feeding Ria; it was part of his punishment to see his sister suffer for what he had done. Voldemort had been by earlier in the day and had cast the same spell on his cell that was on Ria's. He heard all of Ria's torture.

When Voldemort had walked Ria back to her cell, Harry had wanted nothing more than to comfort her. He heard her wracking sobs that night and he couldn't help but believe that this imprisonment might be the one to break Ria if they weren't rescued soon.

The following days Harry was in too much pain to really even think about Ria. The skin on his back was cut to pieces by a whip and was getting infected, his right arm was broken, and all his nerves were stinging from the latest round of Crucio that he felt. All he knew was that Ria was taken out of her cell at the same time he was fed his meal, and the times she returned were varied.

At the end of the month his silent prayers were answered in a small way, Edana had made her way into his cell. From across the hall. His familiar explained how she had gotten here and what she had seen of Ria. Harry also read the letters from his companions and if he wasn't injured Harry would have dance in happiness. Now he had a time frame, it was always easier to stay strong if you knew how long you had to be strong for.

The people at headquarters were not doing well at all. The capture of two of the strongest fighters had been a shock to all of them. Every time that Regulus would bring back news of the twins' conditions it would only distress the Order more. Luckily by the end of the month the dimension travelers had their plan almost complete and could even give a date for the attempted break out, so Regulus took Edana with him back to the manor and let her deliver the plans to the captives.

To keep their minds off of all that the Order moved their headquarters to an abandoned subway tunnel four miles from the original site. They also attacked as many supply and prison transport trains that they could in hopes that it would distract Voldemort from seeking the identities of the twins.

Slowly but surely a routine fell into place around the headquarters. Sirius and Remus, while not particularly recovering had managed to start making through the days without breaking into tears. Cuil was doing well, but he still sensed the sadness radiating from Remus and the others and had become overly quiet. One thing was for certain the twins were needed as soon as humanly possible to keep hope alive.


	12. In Hell, Month Two

**A/N: I'm going to do this chapter in Voldemort's point of view until the very end. There will be mentions of attempted rape and rape. I also raised the rating because I didn't know how much I could get away with in a T-story. **

**In Hell, Month Two**

**Day 44: **Voldemort had taken his pet into his chambers, fully intent on claiming her tonight. He threw her on his bed and began to strip her of her clothing, not bothering to tie her down. He wanted a fight for what he was about to do. As he got her shirt opened he had time to notice a beautifully crafted choker around his pet's neck before she landed nails on his cheek leaving five deep gashes across it. He grabbed that hand and held it down, but as he moved to take off the remains of the pants she had on her other hand came around and punched him twice before he could pin it to the bed. Voldemort went for his wand to conjure up restraints, but as he did so the little bitch landed a knee to his ribs and one to his groin. He had had enough, he slapped so hard that it sent her off the bed, her head smacking into a bedpost and knocking her unconscious. He took her back to her cage, promising revenge for the injuries he had received.

**Day 45: **Voldemort watched as his newest pet screamed under the influence of his crucio. The little girl deserved all this pain; she had fought him harder than anyone had before. You would think that after 45 days of being tortured and starved she would be willing to do anything to stop the pain. Damn it, she should be submitting to his every whim, broken beyond repair, and afraid of angering him in the slightest.

He lifted the curse from her and watched gleefully as she turned her head to the side and coughed up copious amounts of blood. He smirked in satisfaction as he brought a hand up to finger five parallel scratches on his cheek, his black eye, and broken nose. The movement caused his ribs to stretch painfully reminding him of his other not so obvious injuries. The little bitch packed a punch for a girl with 10 broken fingers, a broken right wrist, and a broken left upper arm. He had tried to fulfill his threat to her and make her his, but his pet had refused, which at first was okay because he wanted a fight, but he hadn't realized just how much damage she could do to him.

**Day 50:** Voldemort had his pet's brother in front of him at the moment. He couldn't understand why these two wouldn't just tell him what he wanted to know. Instead they continued to anger more and more. They took everything he threw at them and even mouthed off to him making him angry on purpose. He had never met anyone as stubborn as the twins.

The man was in worse shape than his sister, he had multiple fractures in his right arm, a broken jaw, his left shoulder had been dislocated, his left kneecap fractured, and his back was a mess of infected whip marks and knife cuts. But because of this his mental defenses were breaking and Voldemort was waiting impatiently for the moment he could rape Harry's mind.

**Day 55: **It had finally happened, if he wasn't a dignified man with a reputation to uphold Voldemort would have danced for joy. He had finally gotten through the first layers of Harry's mind and what he had found shocked him. The two he was holding captive were from a different dimension and they were two of the prophecy brats that he had killed so long ago. The Potters, how he hated them with a fiery passion. The parents were known all over as two of the few who had defied him multiple times, and now he had the twins infuriating him beyond measure. The knowledge of who they were made his delight, in causing them pain, expand even more.

He returned the man to his cell and took out his pet to play with. She was more fun because the poor little girl couldn't brace herself for what was coming since she couldn't see it. He had learned from his mistake earlier though, and was now tying his pet up whenever he went to touch her past simple stroking. He reveled the intoxicating fear she gave off whenever he touched her in a sexual way, and he felt as if he would never get tired of the way this pet reacted towards him.

To him she looked so beautiful, beautiful and broken and bleeding, and he had never been so turned on by one of his pets before. He decided that tonight he would fully claim this pet, so instead of bringing her to his throne room he took her to his chambers. Once there he tied her spread eagle on the bed and he began to touch her. She shivered and tried to pull away from, but her bindings were too tight and her injuries severe. And as he entered her Voldemort felt the most satisfaction he had had since his DE's had brought the twins in, his pet broke into tears. He had never seen her cry, she had screamed, begged, and whimpered, but never cried in his presence.

When he had finished he pulled out then leaned down to lick the tears from her temples then he moved to kiss her roughly, biting her lips and forcefully shoving his tongue into her mouth. "Oh pet, you were wonderful," He whispered in her ear, "I think I may have to keep you around for a long time. But first we need to get this necklace off of you. I can't have another marking what is mine." He reached up and tried to undo the clasp, but it wouldn't come undone. "Why won't it open?" "Only the person who put it one can take it off." "And I suppose the animal put it on you." "Don't call him that." Voldemort watched in satisfaction as the fire returned to the little girl's eyes and he couldn't wait to take her again and again, to see how many times he could do it without her giving up.

He undid her bindings and pulled her close to him, delighting in the fact that while she flinched away from him, she was to tired and sore to put up much of a fight. So Voldemort ran his hands over her, feeling her shiver and flinch until he cast a sleeping charm on her and both fell asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry knew something was wrong. Ria hadn't been brought back to her cell. She was always brought back sometime during the night, but tonight her cell remained empty. He didn't want to think of what the implications of that fact were, but he hoped that the signal for the escape came soon, both of them needed out of this hell.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other dimension travelers were working nonstop to speed up the date of their plans. Regulus had come into headquarters with grave reports on the twins and saying that they needed out fast. So far the group had managed to shave two weeks off the expected time, but they weren't sure if they could speed up the process anymore without Voldemort getting suspicious.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: I can't believe I actually wrote that. My brother says I made it sound like Voldie was in love with Ria, but I would like to say now that that is untrue. He is pervy and sees her as a slave that he can take his lust out on, just because he is turned on by her and wants to keep contact with her does not mean they are in love. He gets off on her pain and suffering so he tries to make her miserable and touching her does that. **


	13. A Rescue

**A/N: Here it is. A rescue for my poor characters. Enjoy. This will be my last post for at least a week, my family is going on vacation tomorrow.**

**A Rescue **

Harry stared across the hall at the empty cell. He hadn't seen his sister in two weeks and he was loosing hope that she was still alive. All he could do now was wait for the signal for escape and hope that Jalen would be able to find Ria and Flame her out. There it was, Harry heard and felt the blast that shook Voldemort's Headquarters.

It happened once, twice, three times; that was the signal. Harry gathered all his strength and transformed into his phoenix form. As he changed he felt another phoenix's presence and knew that Jalen had entered the building, meaning that Ria was still alive. Harry then felt the presence of Jalen flame away and he followed. He landed, transformed, and saw a very welcome sight. His beautiful, wonderful Sirius was standing there and he caught Harry as he collapsed with a small smile and a whispered "Siri."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria was kneeling by Voldemort's bed in a position that she had become accustomed to in the two weeks she had been in his room. If she left her position then she would be punished and at the moment she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle that. She was on her knees with her hands sitting on her legs, her head bent forward, and pieces of hair that had come loose from the ponytail that Voldemort had put her hair in fell forward into her eyes, but she was not allowed to brush them back.

Voldemort was sitting in her line of sight, working at his desk and completely ignoring her existence. In her mind that was a very good thing, when he paid attention to her she was hurt and her back was still dripping blood from her last beating, it was soaking through the long t-shirt she was allowed to wear during the day.

It was then that she felt three explosions shake the compound and saw Voldemort run out of his room. The next thing she knew Jalen had flamed in front of her and she reached out and grabbed hold of her familiar's tail and was gone in a swirl of flame just as Voldemort burst back into his room.

When she landed she didn't have enough energy to bond to a familiar to look around, but she heard the quiet gasp and call of Arianna that she recognized as her Remus's. She felt familiar arms circle her shaking form, she tried to hide a flinch at the contact but didn't think it worked, and then she passed into the welcoming world of unconsciousness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius and Remus were waiting at the ruins of the old headquarters where they would meet the twins after their escape. Neither was prepared for the sight that greeted them when first Harry then Ria appeared in their presence. Both twins were a mess, worse than any other time they had seen them.

Sirius caught Harry as he fell, seeing as recognition passed through Harry's eyes and heard a soft whisper of "Siri" before his passed out in his arms. He cradled Harry to his chest and realized he was crying when one of his tears dripped onto Harry's dirty cheek. He quickly wiped it off and then wiped his own eyes. He stood there with Remus waiting for Ria.

Remus saw Harry appear and he was shocked at the damage done to the young man, and he couldn't help but wonder what Ria was going to look like when she appeared. Just then Ria appeared in a burst of flame. Remus gasped at the state she was in and he called her name to let her know he was there before picking her up. He felt the slight flinch at his touch, but chose to ignore it for now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poppy Pomfrey walked out of the infirmary after nearly eight hours of healing both twins. She walked over to where their families were standing and began to give a list of what injuries she had found. The others looked up as Poppy walked out of the infirmary and knew the news was not good by the look on her face. "The injuries the twins have sustained are severe and I am not sure how soon they will recover." Remus spoke up from his seat, "Can you tell us what the injuries were?" "Harry had multiple breaks in his right arm, his left arm was broken and dislocated, his left kneecap was shattered and that will never fully heal, he has sustained several head injuries, his right ankle was snapped almost in half, nearly every rib was fractured, his jaw broken, and the cuts and welts on his back are all infected."

The people were all pale and some of them even wretched, all were dreading what Ria was like, "Ria was even worse. Her right wrist was broken, all of her fingers were snapped, her left upper arm was broken in two places, her right femur was broken, it looks like someone took a knife and traced her lips with it very deeply, her right elbow was shattered which will leave permanent damage, every one of her ribs snapped, one rib pierced her lung, she was far more starved than Harry, her body is littered with whip marks, she has signs of multiple crucio's, and the worst is that she has signs of repeated rape."

Hermione spoke through her tears, "Poppy, when you said permanent damage what do you mean?" "For Harry he will have to use a cane, his leg won't bend enough for him to walk. Ria will probably loose some of the range of motion in her arm. The head injuries on both will not cause any brain damage, so that is very lucky. I have no idea when they will wake, but you are all welcome to see them as long as you are quiet."

The dimension travelers and the Marauders plus Lily went in to see the twins. Remus was carrying Cuil and took up watch in the chair next to Ria's bed. Sirius did the same next to Harry and when the others left both of them stayed, clinging onto their lovers and the hope they would wake soon.


	14. Waking Up

_AN: Yes here it is, the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I was on vacation and then having computer problems. Review please._

**Waking Up**

Harry slowly felt sensation return to his body, his clouded mind registered soft voices murmuring around him, a hand clasping his, and the fact that he was surrounded by warmth. Without realizing it, he tightened his hand around the one holding it.

Sirius jumped when he felt a slight pressure on his hand from Harry's. It was the first sign of movement that they had had from either twin. He gently returned the squeeze hoping that it meant Harry would be waking up soon. Remembering something he once read Sirius began talking to Harry, "Harry, love, come on wake up. So much has happened since you were taken. I missed you so much. I don't know if you know that Ria is alive and well. I want you to wake up sweetie, please. I love you so much. When you wake I want to show you all the differences in this headquarters, we re now taking in orphans, and I think you will love all of them. Please love wake up soon."

Harry heard some one talking to him. He only picked up a few words here and there, but it was enough that he understood the voice belonged to Sirius and that it was pleading with him to wake up. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids were too heavy, so he let out a soft "Siri," that came out more of a groan.

Sirius heard Harry groan and looked up at him. He noticed that Harry was struggling to open his eyes farther than a crack, and he kept up his encouraging whispering. Sirius watched as Harry slowly opened his eyes and began to try and focus on the room.

When his eyes landed on Ria a small smile graced his face, then he turned his attentions to Sirius. To state it nicely Sirius looked horrible, he was pale as a ghost and he had large bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, Harry smiled at the sight, receiving a warm hug in return.

Suddenly Harry heard the door slam open, he couldn't help the flinch that escaped him at that sound. It turned out that Madame Pomfrey had set alarms to alert her when one of the twins woke up. So she came bustling over to give Harry a thorough check up and explain to him about his leg. Harry did not take the news that he would have to use a cane from now on very well.

Over the next few days Harry worked on regaining his former strength. All of his friends and family made sure that he ate and began exercising his limbs to build up muscle after his prolonged sleep. After a few days he started to take turns watching Ria, the others had been doing this with both twins since they were brought in. Remus had explained to him what had happened to Ria, and for the first time since he had awoken the light in his eyes returned full force. He vowed to kill Voldemort slowly and painfully.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing that Ria noticed was that she was lying on something soft, the problem was that she could not remember how she had come to be in a bed. That sent her into a small panic, if she had passed out then she would be in trouble. As her breath started racing, she felt a hand squeeze hers and the sound of Remus's voice reached her ears. The memory of her escape came back to her and she relaxed knowing that no one would hurt her.

Remus had just come back from putting Cuil down for his nap when he noticed Ria moving on the bed and breathing rapidly. He quickly walked over to her and gripped her hand, murmuring comforting words to her as she regained consciousness and calmed down.

Ria smiled, "Remus." "I'm right here baby, you're safe," he sat next to her on the bed, carding his fingers through her hair. Ria relaxed into the familiar gesture before she suddenly burst into tears, wrapping her arms around Remus's waist. Remus recovered quickly from his shock and held onto Ria as she cried out all her pain from the past few months. Ria mumbled a string of broken words through her sobbing, trying to express what she had felt, "Oh God Remus, he wouldn't stop, I wanted him to, it hurt so much…" were some of the fragments that Remus heard from her.

Ria was so lost in her pain that she didn't even notice the door open or some of the others peek into the room to check on her. When she finally calmed down Poppy came bustling in to check on her. After Poppy left Ria asked to see Cuil, Remus was unable to refuse that request and went to go get him.

Ria smiled as Remus placed her son into her arms. Not even the fact that her elbow wouldn't bend properly could upset her now. She was back with her family.

Remus, the dimension travelers, the marauders, and Lily all stood in the doorway watching as Ria held her son. Harry had gone over to her bed and was sitting next to her. The group knew that recovery would be hard for them both, but the hope of the order was back.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voldemort scowled as he looked over his strongest death eaters, Snape had just reported that there were rumors of the twins' escape spreading through England. This was very bad news; he couldn't afford to have people stop fearing him.

Those twins and their companions had caused him more trouble in the last six months than the order had in the last six years. People were starting to get ideas in their heads about disobeying him. Houses were turning up empty, their owners pledging themselves to help the order. Others were now hiding escapees and the hunted ones from his soldiers (_AN: Imagine hidden places like they would use for holocaust victims in WWII)_.


	15. A Child's Love

**A Child's Love**

Samantha walked into the room she knew to be the infirmary here at headquarters. She had seen Mr. Moony and Mr. Remus come in and out of this room often in the last few days. The other doubles and their friends had too, but Mr. Moony and Mr. Remus were the nicest to her, they talked to her and answered her questions. Mr. Remus would sometimes let her hold his baby. She had seen the two injured people being carried in, but she didn't know whom they were.

When Sami entered the ward all she saw was a very beautiful lady holding Cuil and staring out the window. The lady had Jalen, whom Sami had met many times, sitting on her shoulder. Sami knew then that this was Mr. Remus's wife. She was startled out of her musings when the lady turned to face her and beckoned her over.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria was rocking Cuil and staring out the window next to her bed. She was thinking about how Cuil had changed since she was captured. He now actually had hair that was the same honey color of his father, his eyes remained the emerald hers were, and he was so intelligent. Suddenly Jalen turned toward the door, allowing her to see the adorable six-year-old who was standing there. The little girl had deep brown hair, and soulful brown eyes, actually, she reminded Ria strongly of pictures she had seen of a young Hermione, without the bushy hair. Ria beckoned the girl over to her, and when the girl got to her asked her what her name is.

"My name is Samantha, but everyone calls me Sami." "Well Sami, I am Arianna, but most people call me Ria and this young lad in my arms is my son Cuil." Sami smiled down at Cuil and informed the lady, "I already know Cuil, Mr. Remus sometimes lets me hold him. Mr. Remus talks 'bout you Mrs. Aria."

Ria smiled at the name, "You don't have to call me Mrs., just Aria is fine. Why Aria? And how do you know Remus?"

"Mr. Remus was in the library when I was in there and he read me a story. He reads all of us stories every night before bed, so does Mr. Moony. My mommy's favorite songs were all arias so that's the name I give you."

"Ok little one, would you like to hear a story now, I was just about to put Cuil down for his nap. What's your favorite story?" Ria asked with a smile. "Cinderella." And so Ria told Sami the story of Cinderella, acting out parts and doing different voices for all the characters. Soon both Cuil and Sami were asleep on the hospital bed, one on each side of Ria. Ria smiled down at them, and drifted off to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry was lying in the library with his head on Sirius's lap when he noticed his shadow getting closer. His shadow was a boy around four years old who had midnight hair and brown eyes. The boy had been following him and Sirius around since he had gotten out of the infirmary a week ago. Sirius said that the kid had been following him since the kid had arrived at headquarters. Harry motioned for the boy to come over to him, smiling to himself when the boy leaped onto his lap.

Sirius and Harry spent an hour with the kid; they learned his name was Zack, and that his favorite story was Treasure Island. Harry and Sirius took him back to the rooms that had been deemed the nursery when Zack had fallen asleep after the book. In the room they met up with Padfoot and Moony, who seemed to be dropping off their own shadows. Padfoot's was a little girl who was about 5, with long blond hair and pale blue eyes named Allie, and Moony's were a set of identical twin boys who were both werewolves, they had auburn hair and hazel eyes, their names were Rome and Troy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus was standing in the doorway to the infirmary watching as Ria told the story to Sami. Remus felt that he should have known that the quiet, lovable little girl would be the one to get Ria to smile again. Ria had always been a natural parent, within the group she was always the one to put aside her problems and offer comfort to those who needed it. It was what made her an excellent prefect, tutor, and minister. She knew what was needed to calm people down and to make them listen to her.

Remus had met Sami in the library six-weeks ago. The young girl had been trying to find a book to read, but had managed to drop one of the heavier ones on her foot breaking one of her toes. He had found her in the corner crying and had taken her to the hospital wing to be healed. Once there the girl had asked for a story, and had such cute puppy eyes, Remus couldn't say no. He had taken a liking to the small child after that, and she had taken to following him around.

Actually, now that the headquarters had opened its doors to orphans rescued from the trains, all of the adults seemed to be getting shadows. It appeared to Remus that many of the orphans were going to find at least one parent in the group of witches and wizards living in headquarters.

Remus saw that the story had come to an end, so he walked over to the bed and tucked the three of them in. He bent down and kissed each on the forehead, and, to his surprise, for the first time since she had come back Ria did not flinch at the contact. Somehow Remus knew everything would be all right.


	16. Carry On

**AN: Mostly a fluff chapter. I thought my characters needed a break from everything, so I gave them some recovery time and some love from their husbands.**

**Carry On**

_Carry on my wayward son, _

_For there'll be peace when you are done _

_Lay your weary head to rest _

_Now don't you cry no more_

_-Kansas_

Harry woke suddenly from his nightmare. He was breathing hard from the horrors his mind was making him relive. He jumped as two arms circled his waist. It was times like this that he was thankful that Sirius had become such a light sleeper after Azkaban. "Are you okay love?" Sirius's smooth voice flowed over Harry, sending shivers down his spine. Merlin, he loved that voice and what it did to him.

"I'm fine Siri, just another nightmare."

"Don't believe you. You are not fine," Sirius stated as he nuzzled Harry's neck, "Please, talk to me love. Let me help."

"You're right, I just don't know how to start." "Well, why don't tell me what the dream was about."

Harry sat and thought for a few minutes. He really hadn't thought about talking to anyone about what had happened. He was just going to deal with it the way he dealt with everything else, silently. The only person he had ever really discussed his problems and feelings with had been Ria, and she was in no shape to help him. Sirius only knew the basics of his life. Enough to know to be careful, and want to kill the Dursleys, but not enough to truly understand it. Deciding that it was good time to open up to his lover, Harry began to speak.

"It was about the time he shattered my kneecap. I don't even remember what I had done to piss him off that much. Usually he only really hurt me when I said something that pissed him off. Like once I told him that he was as scary as a giant purple stuffed rabbit. That didn't go over well."

Sirius sat there and listened to everything that his Harry told him. Harry usually never opened up about anything, so it was a surprise to hear what was coming from him. He knew that it wasn't everything, but it was a start. He finally could help Harry overcome his experiences.

About an hour later Harry stopped talking to Sirius, choosing instead to just lean further into the hug Sirius had been giving to him since the nightmare. He still didn't think that he would recover from this experience so easily. Soon he lay back down to sleep, glancing at the metal cane in the corner by the bed, it was a constant reminder of everything that Tom had done to him. Shivering he turned away from it, turning into the warmth of Sirius, burying his face in the familiar chest and hair of his husband. He heard the thunder roar above headquarters, he smiled know that his sister was probably sitting listening to the storm.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a month since Ria had been released from the hospital wing, two after she and Harry had been rescued, and at the moment she was lying in her bed next to Remus who had his arms wrapped around her. It was only last week that Ria had started letting Remus sleep in the same bed as her. Now she found comfort in his grasp, the feeling of his arms holding her protectively against his chest. Ria just couldn't sleep, nightmares filled with screams and blood kept her up night after night. Soon Ria realized that she wouldn't get any sleep tonight and rolled out of bed.

As she moved she was careful not to wake Remus up. She had woken him up every night for the past month with her nightmares, and thought he deserved a full night's sleep. She turned to look at him, wondering why she was so lucky to have found him. He had never been anything but patient and kind to her. Thunder echoed through the room, causing Ria to smile and make her way over the enchanted window thanking 'Mione silently for putting windows in the rooms, even if the were underground, and enchanting them to reflect the weather outside.

She wished that she could go outside and let the rain wash over her. Remus and everyone else thought she was crazy whenever she went out into the rain, but it helped her feel clean. The first time she had been caught in the rain was when she was five, she had spent all day weeding the garden at the Dursley's with Harry, and both of them were filthy. Dinnertime had come and neither her aunt nor uncle opened the door to let them in, so Harry had gone to knock on the door just as it started to rain. He earned a beating for both of them, but while Harry had been thrown in the cupboard, she had been locked outside in the rain.

She remembered banging on the door to be let in. Scared of the thunder and the lightening strikes she could see. When the storm had broken she had cried and come close to seeking out a neighbor for shelter, even if it would have landed her in trouble. As the rain fell, she had calmed down letting it wash over her injuries. The water had washed all the blood off of her body, leaving her cleaner than any shower or bath that her relatives had ever given her. Surprisingly, even though she had spent the night in the rain, she didn't get sick at all. Now she spent nearly every storm outside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus woke when he felt the bed grow cold next to him. He realized that Ria was no longer in the bed and looked around for her, thinking that Cuil had woken up. He saw her sitting on the window seat, watching through the enchanted window as the rain poured down. Ria had always loved the rain, he couldn't count the number of times he had found her outside standing in the rain, both as her teacher and her lover, and when it stormed she always watched it. She had told him once that the rain washed away all of her worries and made her feel clean again.

He walked up to her slowly, making sure that she knew he was there, and wrapped his arms around her shaking form. "Hey baby, did you have another nightmare?"

"No, I just couldn't stop thinking. Didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine; I just felt the bed get cold. Can I get you anything?"

"Please Rem, just hold me, please." Remus was surprised at that request; Ria hadn't been letting anyone touch her, except at night when they were in bed together. He slid behind her on the seat and breathed in her scent as she leaned back against his chest. Smiling he settled down to wait her mood out; it had been so long since they had done this.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard Ria speak, "I broke his nose." That statement seemed pretty random, "What?"

"The first time he tried to touch me, I broke his nose, in fact I landed a knee to his groin," here she let out a hysterical half-laugh.

"Ria, are you sure that you're ready to talk about this?" Remus asked as he tightened his arms around her.

"Yes I think that I need to, I want you to know. I love you Remus, and I know you love me. You can and will help me."

"Yes I will. I swear I will do everything to help you baby. I love you so much."

So Ria began talking. She talked into the morning, and afterwards she felt lighter. She was no longer alone.


	17. A New Ally

_**AN: Here it is, the long anticipated and incredibly difficult to write chapter 17. Please, please, please review.**_

**A New Ally**

Soon after their discussions with their husbands Ria and Harry were ready to get back into the swing of things around Headquarters. Neither could get back into battle for obvious reasons so they began to train the Order to fight. Harry, even with his injury could still out-duel the majority of the Order. Even Ria could do it blind and unable to bend her arm far enough to use her sword. Both twins knew that a huge confrontation was coming and they wanted everyone to be prepared.

While the twins were busy training the Order, the rest of their group was building a plan to rebuild the Wizarding and Muggle worlds after the fall of Voldemort. It was a painstaking process that required careful planning and understanding of this world. Hermione had immersed herself in the library, reading the history books and first-hand accounts of Voldemort's triumph and reign. The group had to take into account that the muggles now knew of the wizarding society and most likely viewed it as a threat. The main goal of the newest section of the Order was to start repairing wizard and muggle relations. Of course to do that they had to start defeating Voldemort's troops in battle.

The Order sent Hermione, Lily, James, and Ron out into the muggle world to see what life was like for them compared to what life was like for the wizard rebels. The four found nothing but squalor. Slums were all that was left of the once proud British society, but even now they had erected some form of government. The monarchs were the first muggles to be killed by Voldemort's men. Only the eldest son remained to help his people. Many had tried to flee the country, but their attempts were stopped by an ancient spell Voldemort had found that sealed the area around the U.K. and prevented anyone from leaving or entering. It seemed that all the muggles had been moved to a reservation and to leave it could very well lead to death. They were stuck on the worst land Voldemort could find and the people were starving.

When their report was delivered, it was decided by Dumbledore, Ria, and Harry that a meeting needed to be set up between the Muggle leader and the Order. An invitation was sent to the muggle leader expressing a wish for a peace meeting. The muggles were fighting both Voldemort and the Order and that had to be the first thing stopped. Both groups needed to be allies before they could defeat Voldemort. So Harry and Ria invited the 'Prime Minister' to headquarters, vowing that he, and any others, would not be harmed if they came with peaceful intentions in mind. A week later they received an affirmative reply and began to prepare for the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dorian Davis was anxious about this meeting. Two weeks ago he had had a young woman brought before him saying that she carried a message from two of the leaders of another resistance group. The woman had stood and waited for him to read the letter, looking tense and ready for any attack that might come, what had struck Dorian as odd was that she kept gripping a phoenix charm on her bracelet. The letter stated:

_Prime Minister Davis and Prince William,_

_The Order of the Phoenix would like to extend an invitation to you and your advisors for a peace meeting. If you don't know the Order is a wizarding resistance group that is working to fight against the rule of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We understand that you might be wary of anything that a wizard says, and that is completely understandable, but please consider the offer we will present to you in this letter and send you answer back with Ginny._

_Most of the wizarding public does not agree with what Voldemort has done. Many of us are just as affected by his laws as you are. Those of us who are willing and able to fight have formed the Order. We have encountered a problem though; we no longer have the resources to fight against both Voldemort and your resistance fighters who have taken to attacking any witch or wizard they see without any discrimination. Prime Minister, we wish to form a truce with you and invite you to our headquarters for a meeting to set conditions for our groups to become allies._

_Please think about this Minister. With only your muggle technology you will not be able to beat Voldemort and his troops, just as we cannot do it by ourselves. Working together would be in the best interest for everyone involved. We just want to protect our people and give them a happy life and that is all you want as well. Take some time to think this over and send a reply. If you answer yes a small group will meet you and your advisors in precisely two weeks from now at the entrance to the reservation. We vow that you and those who accompany you will not be harmed in any way as long as you behave peacefully._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry Potter-Black, Arianna Lupin, and Albus Dumbledore_

Now Dorian didn't usually trust wizards, but the offer seemed sincere and he knew that this order didn't believe in killing off normal people. He had thought about this for a week, offering a room to the messenger, before sending the woman back to the order with his affirmative reply. He prepared and hand chose 10 people to accompany him. Five were his guards and the others his closest advisors and best fighters. Dorian and the Prince also decided it was best if only Dorian went to the meeting.

Dorian and his people stood right outside the gate of the reservation waiting for his guides to show. Out of the shadows four people approached him with hoods down. The first looked to be in his mid-twenties with flaming red hair; next to him was the only female in the group, she was the same age and had brown wavy hair and a scar running down her cheek; beside her was a middle-aged man with tawny hair that was streaked with silver, he had multiple light scars on his face and a look in his eyes as if he had spent the last few months worrying over a loved one; lastly was another middle-aged man with long raven hair and eyes that held a strange sadness in their depths. They stated the set password and he replied- with a nod the four escorted them to the entrance of the old underground system.

What Dorian saw when they entered- being shocked and frightened at the display of magic- was not what he expected. The interior of their headquarters was happy. There were little children running around and the kitchen was filled with the sounds of cooking and laughter. He was quickly led through into a back study, along the way he noticed that there were people positioned in the shadows watching him and his men to make sure they didn't draw any weapons, Dorian was insulted that they would think he would order his men to kill innocent children. Some of the shadows had a much fiercer attitude about them than others, and he figured that they were trained warriors whereas the others were like most of his forces, dragged into protecting their families because there where no other option. They came to a stop outside a pair of black wooden doors at the end of the hall.

The two middle-aged men entered first, and then the muggle group was ushered in and given seats at a round table that was in the hall. A door on the far side of the room opened and in walked two people who could not have been over the age of 25, yet they looked more battle weary than his most experienced fighters. The man was lightly scarred all over, he walked with the assistance of a cane- and the way he did it showed that it was a fairly recent addition; he nodded at the group and took one of the two open seats. The woman was the one that shocked Dorian the most and from the looks he was getting from his men they felt the same. She was heavily scarred everywhere that they could see, she was blind yet seemed to looked straight at him, her arm was bent slightly and from the way it was held Dorian knew that it would not move any farther.

The tawny-haired man took his seat next to her and a young blond took up a stance behind he chair. The raven-haired man took his seat next to the young man and a young mousy-haired man took a place behind him. The way the two middle-aged men were sitting next to the two who were obviously the leaders showed Dorian that they were definitely lovers.

He was startled out of his thoughts when the woman spoke, "Prime Minister Davis, we have asked you here today because we can not keep fighting each other if we want to beat Voldemort. Our Order and your resistance need to be able to work together to overthrow this monster."

"I certainly agree with you Miss?"

"Oh oops sorry, I am Arianna Lupin and next to me is my brother Harry Potter-Black," she stated with a nod in his direction.

"Well as I was saying I agree that we can't beat Voldemort while fighting each other, but what guarantees can I have that once we defeat him you will not continue his work in exterminating muggles?" Dorian challenged her.

Her eyes flashed, "Mr. Davis, this order and those that belong to it do not condone the killing muggles or any one else. Many of our members have joined us because they are muggle-born, or half-breeds, or some other class that would get you killed in this regime. Once we have killed Voldemort we will help you rebuild, and hope that you will help us, and then we will either remove ourselves from the muggle radar or if the governments can come up with an agreement we will be happy to live beside you, whatever you want. The only thing we would be unwilling to do is hide who we are and stop teaching our children the ways of magic."

The meeting dragged on for another four hours. Both sides made concessions, and when Dorian Davis walked out of the meeting hall he was filled with a new hope. Maybe all was not lost and wizards could live peacefully with is people. He was invited to stay for a week at their headquarters until the official treaty was worked through, and he readily accepted excited to see how these people lived their day-to-day lives.


	18. Dorian and Magic

_**AN: Sorry this took so long to get up. I had two books to read and two papers to turn in last week. Also my school is going through a rough time and I was caught up in protesting. Please review!**_

**Dorian and Magic**

Dorian woke with a start the day after his meeting with Ria and Harry. At first he didn't know where he was, but then the memories of last night came rushing at him. Last night after the first meeting Dorian and his men had each been given a guide and had been told to look anywhere they wanted, expect bedrooms unless they had express permission. His guide had been the young man, who had been one of the meetings leaders, and his husband.

_Flashback_

_"Prime Minister Davis, if you would follow us?" The man he remembered was named Harry Black came up to him, limping with his cane._

_"I'd be delighted Mr. Black," he had answered. _

_"Please call me Harry, there are four Mr. Blacks running around headquarters." _

_"Then you must call me Dorian," he had gotten a bright smile for that, "This is my husband Sirius," the longhaired man reached his hand out to Dorian who shook it. As he walked out of the room Dorian turned and watched the interaction between Harry's sister and the man who had been introduced as Remus. Ria was still weak and so he helped her to stand and make her way out of the room. Seeing how tender the man was with her truly convinced him that for the moment he had nothing to fear from these people. He then followed Harry from the study. _

_Dorian was shown all of headquarters from the library to the joyful kitchen. Finally he was shown to his room and the commons he shared with his men. They were brought supper and left alone to sleep._

_End Flashback_

This morning Dorian was supposed to be shown the training and other preparations the Order. Breakfast was an interesting affair; he was introduced to most of the Order there, but didn't get to ask many questions of them. Harry walked over to him, "Would you like to sit in on today's training?"

"I would enjoy that Harry," Dorian said with a smile. Harry led him and his men back to the training room. Ria was already there putting the order members through some warm-ups. She gestured for them to come in and take a spot on the floor. "Today we will be working on a Muggle technique called karate. Please pair off. No Dad, you can't be with Mum, Padfoot, Moony, or Peter. Actually none of the Marauders can pair together, you cause too much trouble," Ria commanded them.

Dorian found himself facing a man who appeared to be an older version of Harry. "James Potter, nice to meet you."

"Dorian Davis, the pleasure is mine Mr. Potter," Dorian replied shaking the man's hand. "Please just call me James." "Okay, then I insist on being Dorian." Dorian looked around and noticed that his men had been paired up with some of the more experienced looking fighters. "Begin," Ria called out. He had to duck a punch before he realized that the fight had begun. After James had incapacitated him and he had received some pointers from Ria, Dorian watched as his men were either taken down or barely managed to beat their opponents. These fighters knew what they were doing.

The rest of the day was spent in the library researching defenses and strategies that would work against Voldemort. Dorian and his men were also given an overview of Wizarding history, making him realize why these fighters were so good. They had been fighting for more than a decade longer than him.

By the end of his third day in the headquarters Dorian was ready to conclude that every preconceived notion he had of magic was false. He spent a few hours in the infirmary with Poppy Pomfrey learning all about the healing arts and was ready to admit that maybe mixing magic and muggle means was going to be a good idea. Slowly he could see many different ways in which both worlds would benefit from each other.

The fourth day of Dorian's stay he was woken up by five young children jumping on his bed. He chased them out into the hall, smiling all the while; he had gotten to like the five youngsters that were attached to the main group he interacted with. Dorian got ready quickly since toady was going to be spent in meetings.

Once Dorian's group, the dimension travelers, the Marauders, and Dumbledore were in the study Ria stood, "Good Morning everyone, we need to go over some of the more intimate details of our truce. Albus if you would start?"

"Of course. I have read over the truce that has been drawn up and I have only found a few problems. First many wizarding families have ancestral properties that they may want to take back, I want to make sure that they will receive at least a small part of their land back. I understand that we need not give all of it back, but a percentage would be nice. Next we need to have access to the research and instructions for many of the newly created Muggle weaponry to see if we can improve on it or speed up production. Thirdly I feel that a clause promising that after Voldemort is defeated any Muggle who attacks a person of magical blood will be punished, it's only fair because our side has added a clause going the opposite direction."

Dorian nodded, "I understand your views Albus and I know that I can guarantee the last bit and I will see about getting you the plans for the weapons. The land bit might be a little difficult, but if it is only portions of their original land then I think we may be able to get that worked out. At the very least I will add to the truce a clause saying that unless a very good reason is presented to a council of both magical and muggle representatives about why the land can't be given back it will be. Since many of the Muggle refugees will be in the situation I will write that in."

"Are we all agreed on this?" Ria asked and waited for nods from all the occupants of the room. "Very well, Remus, Moony, Ron, and Hermione will take this and write up a final copy for review. Dorian do you want to send any of your men with them?" Dorian sent two of his men out of the room and into the small side study with the other four.

The remaining members dispersed to complete other tasks and relax before the final draft was brought out. Three hours later they were summoned back to the room and the final paper was passed around. Everyone signed the bottom; the final treaty was finished:

_We the signed do agree to the following conditions laid down in the following contract. We have acted in every legal and moral right that has been granted to us of the freewill of those we represent. All we want is to make a better world for us and our prosperity to live in. This is the first contract of its kind, uniting the wizarding and muggle world together in hopes to destroy the evil that threatens our very existence._

_The representatives of the Order of the Phoenix and those that they represent hereby swear that no muggle will ever be killed, tortured, or in any other way be harmed whether mentally or physically simply for being a muggle. All muggles will be considered on equal standing with the witches and wizards of this community._

_Continuing they pledge to do everything in their power to help bring down the threat of Voldemort. Once Voldemort is eliminated the aforementioned, hereby known as the Order, will work to ensure no tyrant will once again be formed. If any wizard tries to finish Voldemort's work then the Order will inform their muggle counterparts immediately and they will work to stop the threat early on. In reverse if the muggles ever need help with a serious threat then the Order will help to the best of its ability. _

_Lastly the Order will share its magic with the muggles in order to help speed recovery from wounds and illness. We will also assist in the production of weaponry._

_Prime Minister Dorian Davis, representative of the remaining muggles on the island of Great Britain, and his councilors (known as party 2) in exchange for the promises of the Order do hereby agree to the following conditions._

_One- party 2 agrees to treat all members of the wizarding community as equals. If a witch or wizard does not follow Voldemort they will be safe from persecution. We swear that no witch or wizard will ever be killed, tortured, or in any other way be harmed whether mentally or physically simply for being magical._

_Two- we agree that a council will be formed of both magical and muggle representatives to make sure that ancestral lands for both wizards and muggles are distributed fairly will be formed. _

_Three- if any single person tries to finish Voldemort's work then Party 2 will send help to their allies in order to keep the peace of our shared world. If a muggle comes to power that threatens to break this contract, kill magical beings, or in anyway allow prejudice to develop laws and a governmental system then we will inform our wizarding counterparts and help to stop the unjust happenings._

_Four- Party two will disclose any research into new or improved weapons with the Order. _

The document was signed and sealed. A copy was made to be stored at the muggle headquarters as well. With the signing of this document the need for the muggles to stay was over and they were to be escorted back home the next day.

Dorian approached Ria and Harry where they were sitting in the back of the room, "Ria, Harry, I would like to offer you an invitation for a visit to my headquarters. When we go tomorrow would you like to come with us?"

Harry and Ria exchanged glances, they knew it would be good for them both to meet with the other leaders of the muggle resistance but Ria wasn't sure if she was strong enough to make the journey (neither was Harry for that matter). "We will have to discuss this with the others if you don't mind. We will let you know."

A few minutes later Harry came back over to him, "We will come, but if we go we will be accompanied by a few others."

Dorian smiled, "That would be perfectly alright. After all I came with others."

The group dispersed and got ready to leave the next day. James and Lily agreeing to watch Cuil for the next few days. The next morning a group of twenty people set out for the muggle headquarters (ten dimension travelers and ten muggles). When they arrived they were ushered into a reception room. Dorian left the group to go explain everything to the council before the witches and wizards were brought in.


	19. The Council

_**AN: Once again I am sorry that this took so long to get up. The reasons are complicated and listed on my profile in passing. I hope you enjoy, please review.**_

**The Council**

_The next morning a group of twenty people set out for the muggle headquarters (ten dimension travelers and ten muggles). When they arrived they were ushered into a reception room. Dorian left the group to go explain everything to the council before the witches and wizards were brought in._

Dorian entered the council room were he was faced with the nine members of the Justice Court and Prince William. He approached the bench, ready to answer any questions that they felt the need to ask.

"Prime Minister Davis please hand you report to Chief Justice Smith for review." Dorian nodded his head at the prince and handed his report over. It was read and passed around to all of the council members.

Chief Justice Smith was the first to speak, "Is what you wrote in here all true?" he asked.

"Yes. I was shocked by everything at first as well, but these people don't mean us any harm," he got disbelieving looks at that statement.

Justice Williams spoke up next, "How can you say that? Their kind have been killing us for over a decade."

Dorian shook his head, "I know that, but this order has been fighting for over twenty years against Voldemort. They do not believe in any of his policies and have agreed to set up legislation when they get control of their world back that would protect muggles."

"What are muggles?"

"Non-magic people, your Majesty."

"Dorian, show us the treaty that you signed," Justice Granger demanded of him. When he handed it over she read through it and then passed it to Smith, "The treaty seems to cover most of our concerns very well, and if this order keeps its word then life could be good for everyone involved." The other justices nodded their heads as each read the treaty.

"Who are the others you brought back Dorian?" the Prince asked.

"Well, I brought back two of their leaders and the two's team. They wanted to represent themselves to you and address any concerns you have about this themselves."

"Very well, show them in."

Dorian went into the waiting room where he found the ten lounging in different locations and he ushered them in.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Dorian went into the council room the ten witches and wizards settled down for a long wait. They knew that he would be facing an inquisition in the council room and the Justices would probably not be overly happy with his decisions concerning the treaty and bring them into the muggle area.

Ria quickly took a seat on the closest chair, trying to regain her strength before being brought into the council room. As she closed her eyes her companions exchanged worried glances. Harry soon sat down in the chair next to her, also resting from the walk. To the rest of the group it was a little unnerving for the two leaders to be so drained of strength instead of being the supports for everyone else. Hermione transfigured the two chairs into love seat, allowing Remus and Sirius to sit down with the twins and offer them some support and comfort. Harry opened his eyes when Sirius sat down and he shifted to make room and then curled into him before closing his eyes again, but Ria didn't even register Remus's presence on a conscious level so Remus shifted her into a more comfortable position.

After half-an-hour the others were starting to lounge into other conjured or transfigured furniture, that is not saying they were not alert, but standing still for that long will take its toll on anyone. They conversed in low tones, discussing all the possible outcomes of this meeting. Finally after an hour Dorian walked back into the room and beckoned the travelers to follow him.

Dorian watched as Remus and Sirius woke their spouses up, he knew that the journey had been hard for both and he was impressed that the two never complained. He hoped that they could put on a strong front for the council because if the Justices perceived any weakness then the treaty would fall apart.

Harry and Ria rose and stood at the head of their group, looking cool and composed. They showed no outward sign of the fatigue that was plaguing them, having learned over their years at the Dursley's and in captivity how to hide their true states. Dorian nodded at them and led them into the room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The nine Justices and Prince William watched as Dorian led the wizards into the chamber. They took in the battle-hardened look about the ten, especially the scars and obvious injuries on the two leaders. None of them had ever seen such intense scaring on such a young woman, or such battle weary expressions on so many faces in one group. Each Justice nodded to the group and Dorian took his seat up at the council table.

"I am Chief Justice Smith, these are Justices Williams, Granger, Thatcher, Wheatley, Grey, Wilson, Trott, Woods, and Prince William," he pointed to each person in turn. When the wizards heard the name Granger they stared in shock at Hermione's mother. 'Mione decided that she would try and explain things to the Justice later, right now deciding to give her name as Weasley.

Ria stepped forward, making sure to direct her eyes at each one, with the help of Jalen, and spoke to the council, "It is a pleasure to be in front of such a strong group of people. We are honored that you have spared some time out of your busy schedule to see us. I am Arianna Lupin, my husband Remus Lupin, my brother Harry Potter-Black, his husband Sirius Black, Hermione Weasley and her husband Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy and fiancée Ginny Weasley, Severus Snape, and Neville Longbottom," she introduced everyone. The Chief Justice nodded his head at each of them.

"Prime Minister Davis has brought back a treaty that was signed by the leaders of your organization. Were you sincere in your intentions expressed in this venture? Do you intend to stay true to everything said here? Or will you turn your backs on us and kill us like others of your kind do?"

In a tone that barely belied his fury Harry responded, "Chief Justice, while I understand that your experiences with magical people are skewed, I honestly hope that you did not mean to insult my friends and family by saying that we would break our word."

Ria picked up here, looking each council member in the eye before focusing on Williams, "We meant every word that was laid down in that treaty. One thing you must realize Chief Justice is that each magical person is different. Some may truly believe in the prejudice doctrine spout out by Voldemort and his followers, but most do not accept it. Our world has been fighting Voldemort for nearly twenty-years, we fight with everything we have, sacrificing a great number of things to see to his downfall. If we work that hard to see his reign come to a close, do you truly believe that any one of us would turn around and finish his work? We are trying to fight to offer our children a better world, where there is no death and no fear of slavery or abuse by authority figures. All we want from this council is its help to bring about that world."

Prince William broke in then, "I believe you Mrs. Lupin, and I hope that over the next few days we can learn much from each other. Right now though, you all look very tired and I think that we should adjourn for the afternoon. Some one will show you to your rooms, and dinner will be brought to you there."

"Thank you very much your Majesty. We all appreciate your consideration," Ron responded diplomatically.

A young man entered the chamber then and Dorian beckoned to the group to follow him out of the room. Dorian winced in sympathy as Ria stumbled and had to lean on Remus's arm as the group left, he could tell that all of this had warn the twins out, and he wished that there had been an easier way to handle this part of cooperation between their worlds. He nodded his head to the council and took his leave, noticing that the other members were also dispersing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group walked behind the young man through the inner sanctum of the muggle government headquarters. It wasn't nearly as warm or welcoming as theirs was, but it needed to be hidden better since muggles couldn't cast charms to make a building harder to spot. Harry's leg was bothering greatly, his limp was becoming more pronounced, and he wished that they would arrive at their destination soon. Before he could dwell on that any longer the guide stopped in front of a pair of large double doors.

"In here you will find five separate rooms and a bathroom. I hope this is comfortable for your stay," with that the guide departed.

Each couple immediately claimed a room, and went into it to see how they faired in lodgings. The rooms were nice enough, nothing elaborate but nothing dismal either. Ria immediately sank onto her bed and fell asleep, Remus smiled fondly at her before he went out into the commons to speak with the rest of the group. They stayed there until a few young people brought them dinner, Remus saving some for Ria when she woke up, before heading off to their rooms for an early night.


	20. An Ordinary Morning

_**AN: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Updates should be more frequent now that mid-terms are over. All information on Voldemort's past came from the Harry Potter Lexicon. This is kind of a filler chapter to lead into the next one. Please, please, please review.**_

**An Ordinary Morning and A History Lesson**

Sirius awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door to the shared apartment. Noticing that he was the only one up, Sirius walked across the room and opened the door to find Dorian, Prince William, the Chief Justice, Justice Williams, and Justice Grey standing on the threshold. He ushered them inside, excusing himself for a minute to get changed when he saw Ria making her way into the main room. He stopped by her, "Are you going to be okay with this lot Shadow?" he whispered. Ria nodded in response. "Alright," he sighed quietly and ruffled her hair, "I'll be back soon, but the others should be up soon anyway."

Ria smiled at the group and gestured for them to sit down. "So Dorian, what brings you here so early?"

"Well Ria, the Prince wanted to meet you all before the talks and meetings begin later today, and the justices thought it was good idea. They are curious about the life you guys lead."

"Please Your Highness, ask any questions you may have. The others should be up and in here in a little while."

Prince William smiled gratefully at Ria, "I don't want to seem intrusive, but some of the information that Dorian provided the council with sparked some interest."

Ria shook her head, "It's not intrusive. Actually I think it is awesome for you to want to understand our culture. Lack of understanding and respect is what got all of us into this mess in the first place."

"You may be right about that, and I pray to God that it doesn't keep happening. Prejudice has caused way too much trouble in human history."

"Not just human history," the group turned to face the speaker, Remus was standing in the doorway, "in Wizarding society the prejudices affect all the magical creatures, and those that stand up for them," he finished with a sigh and a slight smile toward Ria.

Ria reached her hand out to Remus, who took it and sat down next to her on the sofa where he pulled her close to him, she said softly, "I have never regretted loving you Remus," and cuddled into his side.

Dorian, Justice Grey, and the Prince smiled at the couple. This was why Dorian had agreed to bring the group to their rooms. They needed to see the way the group interacted to understand that these people were just like them, except with an extra ability. "Now, now wolves don't scare them away with your excessive mushiness," the five visitors jumped as Severus' voice came from the side.

"Don't worry Sev, I think they might actually be endearing us to the group."

"I thought I asked you not to call me that Potter. Actually I know I did, I said 'Potter don't you ever call me Sev again, understand?'"

"I remember that, but it's not Potter anymore, its Black," came Harry's cheeky reply as he and Sirius walked into the room.

"It's a good thing he's not your Professor anymore Harry, or he would have you scrubbing cauldrons in detention on Friday night," came Ginny's teasing voice from her doorway. That comment sent the group into laughter. A second later Ron came stumbling in half-awake and still pulling on his shirt, "Why we all up so early?"

"Oh Ron, its really not that early. If you hadn't kept me up all night then you wouldn't be tired," Hermione had followed him into the room, immaculately dressed, and finished her statement with a slap to the back of Ron's head.

"Gross, why are we discussing the Weasleys' sex-life so early in the morning. Anyway Weasley, you should know better than to be less than aware during a mission, whether diplomatic or otherwise," came an aristocratic drawl from next to Ginny, "OW Gin, what was that for?"

"Don't give my brother a hard time Draco. Especially since you committed the same misbehavior last night as well." Draco blushed lightly causing Severus to snort in repressed mirth.

"And what are you laughing at Severus, you and I were up to the same last night as well, don't mock them just because you are used to running on less sleep from your spying days, oh and keeping the twins out of trouble," Neville had finally emerged and taken a seat next to Severus on the loveseat he had claimed. Ron and Hermione were on the floor near one end of the couch, Sirius and Harry had sat next to Ria, Draco and Ginny were also on the floor.

"I don't think he could have kept us out of trouble Neville," Harry said, sending the group into laughter again. "Now what can we do for you gentlemen?"

"Well I thought that it would be good for them to see how you behave normally so that they would understand that you are just like us, except that you have different gifts. They also wanted to ask you some questions," Dorian told Harry.

"Sounds like a plan Dorian, ask away gracious hosts," Harry responded with a smile.

The Chief Justice spoke first, "Dorian mentioned in his report that your group has been fighting the Dark Lord for over a decade longer than us, just how long has he been out there?"

Hermione answered, "He was born Tom Marvolo Riddle in 1926. He graduated from Hogwarts in 1945, he already had come up with the name Lord Voldemort, it's an anagram of 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. He then worked in a shady wizarding shop, before applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position somewhere around 1955. He was turned down. Soon after the earliest sightings of the Death Eaters, first known as the Knights of Walpurgis, happened in 1956. Voldemort started gaining large amounts of power in 1970 _(AN: I couldn't find the exact year, but I figured since in PS/SS Dumbledore makes a comment about having little to celebrate for 11 years and it takes place in 1981 then 1970 is a good estimate)_. The Order was called together to help defeat him during his rise to power, and has remained ever since."

"Okay so your order has been fighting him since the seventies, why haven't you defeated him?"

"It is not that simple Chief Justice," Sirius began, "at first the Wizarding world didn't want to consider him a threat, it had only been 35 years since the last dark lord had fallen, people wanted to believe that it was over. Then when it appeared he was going to try and take control, using murder and torture, people became terrified of his followers and of him. Aurors, our law-enforcement, couldn't measure up to his minions because the Death Eaters used the three curses that are considered unforgivable in our society. Many of Voldemort's supporters were wealthy, well respected members of society. They worked in the Ministry and held important positions. It became a time of great fear and distrust.

Eventually he became too powerful and untouchable and no one could get close enough to him to try and kill him. Even Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards living and defeater of the last Dark Lord, could not defeat him. Fear settled over our people, they became so afraid that they wouldn't say Voldemort's name, calling him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Slowly but surely he exterminated as many of his opponents as possible."

Just as Justice Grey was going to ask another question a knock sounded on the door. Neville opened it and saw the same boy from last night standing, "Sirs, Madams, it is now 9:00 and breakfast is being served in the council room." Everyone stood and proceeded down to breakfast.


	21. Another Meeting

_**AN: I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up, but I needed to figure out where this story was going and how to get there. I have now done so. I don't know if it will help me get chapters up faster; I hope it will. Thanks to my new beta loonyli. As always please review, even if it is a flame. It only takes a minute, let me know what you think of my story.**_

**Another Meeting**

Breakfast had turned out to be rather enjoyable for all parties and the Justices who had not come this morning into the guest rooms, did not understand the lessening of harsh feelings between the Chief Justice and the group. Many were thankful that the tension had lessened since it would make it easier to carry out the meeting.

After breakfast the group of twenty-one people moved into the council room. A round table had been brought in to replace the long, rectangular judges table that usually occupied the room. Taking alternating seats the Justices sat down, gesturing for the others to as well.

Chief Justice Smith rose and addressed the seated group. "We are here today to discuss the newly formed alliance between us and the Order of the Phoenix and all of our supporters. This morning Prime Minister Davis took the Prince, Justice Smith, and myself to speak with our guests. After speaking with them, I feel that they are worthy of our trust and support, but I also feel that we need to know a little more about each other.

Let me introduce myself first. My name is Charles Smith. I am 60-years-old, and I have served on the council for 7 years and have acted as Chief Justice for five."

Harry shared a look with his family before standing and addressing the group, "My name is Harry Potter-Black. I am 22-years-old. I became a leader of the Bandits and the Order at 15."

Hermione's mother was the next to speak, "I am Jane Granger and I am 43-years-old. I have served on the council for two years."

Ron rose next, "I am Ron Weasley and I am 23-years-old. I joined the Bandits at 15."

Justice Wheatley, an elder woman with auburn hair, addressed the group, "I am Phyllis Wheatley and I am 87-years-old. I have served on the council for 10 years and I served in Parliament for four years before that."

"I am Hermione Weasley and I am 23-years-old. I have fought with the Bandits since I was 15."

A tall man with graying light brown hair spoke, "I am Alexander Williams and I am 50-years-old. I have served on the council for three years, and was a General for six years during this war."

"I am Severus Snape and I am 43-years-old. I served as a spy for seven years before serving on the Red Team, which is the personal force for the Bandits."

A younger woman with red hair stood next, "I am Liz Thatcher and I am 37-years-old, I have served the council for 2 years and was an Army nurse for 6 years before that."

"I am Draco Malfoy. I am 23-years-old and I have served on the Red Team since I was 16, and have been the personal guard of Ria since I was 17."

"I am Edward Grey, I am 59-years-old." and short, grandfatherly man introduced himself, "I served on the council for eight years, and I was a colonel in the army for 5 years before that."

"I am Ginny Weasley. I am 22-years-old and I have served on the Red Team since I was 16."

The youngest man on the council stood, "I am David Wilson and I am 40-years-old. I have served on the council for three years, and was a lawyer before that."

"I am Neville Longbottom and I am 22-years-old. I have served on the Red since I was 16, and I have served as Harry's personal guard since I was 17."

An older man with slightly graying brown hair stood next, "I am Ron Trott and I am 50-years-old. I have served on the council for eight years, before that I was a Parliamentary representative for ten years and took three years off public relations before running for a council spot."

"I am Sirius Black. I am 43-years-old and I became the co-commander of the Red Team seven years ago. Before that, I fought with the Order for six years."

The last to stand was a middle-aged woman with fiery red hair, "I am Abigail Woods and I am 55-years-old. I have served on the council for ten years, before that I was a doctor in London.

"I am Arianna Potter-Lupin. I am 22-years-old and became a leader of the Bandits and the Order at 15."

"I am Remus Lupin, I am 43-years-old and I became the co-commander of the Red Team seven years ago. Before that, I fought with the Order for six years."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After everyone had introduced himself or herself, the magic group offered to answer some questions about their lives, and magic in general. Taking them up on the offer, the Justices asked away. Hermione repeated the story of Tom Riddle she had told earlier, and a brief explanation was given about how the group was from a different dimension. That fact led to an intense session right before lunch.

"So your group is from an alternate universe, Harry?"

"Yes, Liz. We found this dimension's Sirius coming through the portal. When he asked for our help, we had to agree. We defeated Voldemort in our home dimension, and couldn't, in good conscious, let him continue a reign of terror anywhere else."

"Why did only the ten of you come? Why not any others?" was Prince William's question.

"Well, first of all, what we did was technically illegal. Secondly, we couldn't ask people to give up their happy endings to fight a battle that most would consider finished and not their problem. Lastly, too many people crossing the barrier between the worlds could offset the balance and cause some major magical backlash," Remus answered, speaking in what the Bandits had termed his 'professor voice'.

As the explanations of the dimension jump were given, Hermione noticed her mother giving her a look. She resolved herself to speak with Jane Granger after the meeting was finished.

The arrival of lunch stalled any conversation having to do with the treaty. The teens that delivered the food, edged around the magical guests, trying to stay as far away from them as possible. Besides that, lunch was a jovial affair. Finally, the ever-present tensions between the muggles and the witches and wizards were lessening to a manageable extent.

After lunch, the talk turned to the treaty.

"The council has reviewed and discussed the treaty that Prime Minister Davis presented us yesterday. Each member took a copy back to their rooms last night and has presented me with a list of questions and concerns dealing with the treaty," the Chief Justice opened, "The first question that most had was: how do we guarantee the continued respect and understanding between our two societies?"

"I think that to do this we would have to set up classes in both muggle and magic schools that would teach about the traditions and life the others live. Separating our societies again will only allow this type of war to happen again, though it will be put to vote in our society. Having one or two joint government committees would also help a great deal. People on both sides need to be assured that people that can relate to their way of life are looking after their interests. We saw it in our home dimension with magical creatures." Ria responded with all of her diplomatic practice.

Nods of agreement could be seen all around the table.

"Well, that actually deals with a few of our other questions as well, so I guess what we need to do is to have a private meeting between the council members, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, please take all the time you need. We will head back to our rooms, and you can fetch us whenever you're ready." Harry said, nodding his head.

The magical group rose and headed out of the chamber door and down the hall, leaving the twelve muggles to discuss the treaty and everything they had learned today. Harry and Ria privately agreed, as they walked down the hall together, that it would take at least until tomorrow for a decision to be made.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria and Remus retired to their bedroom as soon as they reached the apartment. Leaning into Remus's embrace, Ria knew that she wanted him to touch her; they hadn't even shared a proper kiss since she was kidnapped. She tilted her head up and caught his lips in a light kiss, tracing his lips with her tongue in the hope that he would let her deepen the kiss, but Remus pulled back startled.

"I-I'm sorry Remus. I… if… never mind. I understand, I'm scarred and tainted and…"

Remus cut her off, "Ria stop. Please baby, I do love you and I want you."

"The why don't you touch or kiss me anymore? Why did you pull away?" tears were already streaking Ria's cheeks.

"Oh, baby, I didn't want to pressure you into anything. I wanted to wait until you were comfortable again, and I pulled away now because I was startled and I wanted to make sure you were okay." He brought his lips back down onto hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Ria met his tongue and they danced before Remus pushed forward and tasted every corner of the delicious mouth he had been unable to have for months. Ria moaned as he pulled back. Seeing the desire plainly written on her face, Remus began to slowly undress her, asking her frequently if she was all right.

He entered her slowly, making sure to keep talking to her in a soft voice, keeping her grounded in the present. She reveled in the feeling of light kisses placed all along her newest scars. The gentleness was so refreshing that Ria came hard, tears falling down her cheeks in pure happiness. Remus's lips were soon on her cheeks, kissing the tears away as he came inside of her. Afterwards he pulled out slowly and held her gently against his chest. Eventually Ria rolled over and curled into him, as she always did after their lovemaking, and he ran gentle fingers through her hair.

"Thank you Rem, I love you forever and always."

"I love you Arianna. I love you with all of my heart and soul," those were the last words she heard before Ria fell into her first nightmare free night since her rescue.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry and Sirius were sitting closest to Ria and Remus's door in the commons of the apartment, with the others of the group, when Harry got a worried look on his face. He had felt some distress through the twin bond (which had been acting funny since their rescue), but almost as soon as it had come it was gone. Sirius turned to him and whispered, "Is everything okay, love?"

"Yeah. I just got a weird feeling from Ria, but its gone now."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. In fact, I think both Ria and Remus are going to be extremely happy after today. She may finally be getting back to normal."

"Are you saying what I think you are?"

Harry nodded at his husband. The two shared very large smiles, happy for two of the people closest to their hearts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon Remus woke to a soft knock on the door. He got up, careful not to wake Ria, put on his boxers, and padded over to the door. Opening it he found Harry and Sirius on the other side, smirking at him, "Good evening Remus. Would you like to eat dinner with the rest of us, it will be here in 20 minutes? Or would you rather stay in here?" Sirius teased with a glance over to a slumbering Ria.

"Go away you mutt," Remus rolled his eyes and smiled at the pair, "We'll be out in a few minutes."

He shut the door and went back over to the bed. Laying a gentle had on her shoulder, Remus woke Ria up. She smiled sleepily at him, "Hey Rem."

"Hey baby," she heard the warmth in his voice, "It's time to get up. Dinner will be brought up soon, and the others want us to join them." When she nodded he pulled her into a loose hug before handing Ria her clothing so she could dress and getting dressed as well. They both emerged from the room with happy smiles on their faces, joining their friends in the commons.

The group laughed and talked all through dinner. Happy to have time to themselves for a while. It was not something that happened very often anymore.


	22. Together We Stand

_**AN: Yes I have an update. Expect updates more frequently for the next month since I will be done with finals next week!!!! Please, please review. I would really like four or five reviews before I even consider writing the next chapter. Thanks. Oh and I don't own Harry Potter.**_

_**Aria**_

**Together We Stand**

The next morning the group was escorted to the councils meeting room for breakfast once again. Before any food was served though, Justice Smith stood and informed the room that the treaty would stand as is, except for a clause that states the ideas set down in the treaty can be expanded on and will only be a basis for the final governments of both societies.

After a joyous breakfast filled with jokes and laughter, all the men, save Remus and Severus, were escorted toward the weapons facilities and strategy rooms. Hermione went with her mother, Ginny, and Severus to the medical ward for demonstrations from both the magical and muggle people.

The weapons and strategy room was covered in blueprints, maps, and hand written information and plans. Ron was immediately drawn to the map table, studying the subtle differences between the wizarding maps and the muggle ones. He saw immediately that thanks to their magical abilities the wizarding maps were much more precise and up-to-date, he made a mental note to owl over some better maps as soon as they got back to headquarters.

Ron reluctantly left the maps when Harry called him over to look at the blueprints and construction line for the muggle weaponry. All the Bandits and the Red team were familiar with the assembly and use of firearms and other muggle weapons, but none of them had really liked using them. So watching as twenty men put together over a hundred new guns was slightly uncomfortable to the group.

The guns were fitted with long-range scopes and silencers, making it easy for the gunmen to fire from long-range and without getting caught too often. Harry knew that his group would need to put magic detecting charms on the scopes, hopefully with an alteration that Ria and 'Mione could come up with that would discern the difference between those magical beings with Dark Marks, and those without them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other side of the complex, Hermione, Ginny, Severus, Justice Granger, and a few of the muggle doctors and nurses, were in the infirmary office discussing the different techniques and problems that they have been faced since the war began.

Taking a look at the patients, 'Mione offered to treat a few and managed to get ten people out of the infirmary rather quickly. The one major area that the wizards lacked was psychology, and it was decided that some of the magical healers would come and get training in that field. With all that the fighters go through, an understanding person to help overcome the horrors would be the best improvement that the medical field could have.

As the group walked out of the infirmary Justice Granger grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her to her chambers. "Sit down young lady. You will tell me the truth of who you are," Jane Granger commanded in a motherly tone, as John Granger joined her on the couch.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably across from them before answering, "I have already told you who I am. I do not feel the need to explain further," 'Mione made a move to leave.

"Oh no you don't. Sit back down young lady," Jane Granger put all the force of a mother behind her command, causing an instinctive reaction from Hermione, she sat down.

"Now I know that there is more to you than you admitted to the council, and I want the truth of your name. It can't be coincidence," a fierce look overtook Jane's face.

"Alright," Hermione looked defeated, "my maiden name is Granger. I truly am from a different dimension though, so I am not your daughter. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry dear. I just wanted to meet you and see something of what my Hermione could have become, had she had gotten a chance," Jane said as she pulled the stunned Hermione into a hug.

"Um, excuse Mrs. Granger," 'Mione started.

"Call me Jane, dear," she interrupted 'Mione.

"All right, Jane. What happened to your Hermione? If its not too difficult for you to talk about."

"Well, when she turned nine, a group of people from the Order of the Phoenix came by our house and told us that she was a muggle born witch and that they wanted to train her in her powers. John and I were scared, but we gave permission and they took her. She would come home on the weekends and live at their headquarters all week. As she got older, it got more dangerous for any non-pureblood and I began to fear for my daughter's life.

"I tried to stop her from going back to headquarters. I didn't want to lose my baby girl, but then we, the non-magic people, started to get attacked, and it was no safer for her here than anywhere else. The day she turned 15, Hermione got her first mission. She met Ron Weasley on it, and like you she fell in love with him. They continued to be partners on missions, and were engaged on Ron's seventeenth birthday.

"The engagement party was the last time I saw my daughter alive. Death Eaters had attacked a mixed village, and we all went out to help, but only half the party came back. Neither Hermione nor Ron was among the ones to return, and we got word from both magical and non-magical spies that they had been taken to the camps. About six-months later, we received word via spies and released prisoners, that they had tried to escape with another group of prisoners and were captured and shot," by the time she had finished her story both she and 'Mione were in tears.

"Please don't cry Jane," 'Mione pleaded, "I can't be your Hermione, but I can let you get to know me. Please ask me what you want to know about my life."

"Are you happy?"

"What?" 'Mione was shocked at the question.

"Are you happy? You live such a violent and stressful life, are you happy?" Jane clarified.

"Yes, I truly think that I am. I love Ron with every fiber of my being, as well as Harry and Ria. the two of them are the best and most loyal friends that anyone could ever want. The others are wonderful, and make me feel at home among them, and back in my dimension my parents are wonderful and supportive."

"I'm glad that you are happy and taken care of. I always worried that I had let my Hermione fall for someone who was not a good man, or with a crowd that led to her death."

'Mione wrapped a comforting arm around her mother, "Don't worry, if the Ron in this place was even half of what my Ron was, then your daughter would have been well loved and well taken care of," here she was interrupted by an unexpected voice.

"Don't worry 'Mione, any one of me would have taken care of you," Ron said.

A blush rapidly spread across her cheeks, 'Mione smiled up at her husband. Ron walked over and sat down next to her, reaching out and shaking both Mr. and Mrs. Granger's hands. They smiled at him, and all four stayed in the room for dinner, before Ron and 'Mione left for their shared rooms.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While everyone else was out doing things in the compound, Remus and Ria were sitting at the table in the common room going over all the papers they had accumulated throughout the negotiations. Usually Ria would be right out there with her brother and her team, but she had been so tired lately that all she wanted to do was spend time with Remus and rest.

Around dinnertime, the rest of the group came into the commons and they had dinner together. The next day, the group would be heading back to Headquarters and their families. Making sure to keep in touch with the muggles in order to begin the training and preparation for the final battle.


	23. Back to Headquarters

_**AN: Okay here's the next chapter. The scene at the end is dedicated to smittyloveshpfics and the entire chapter is dedicated to imakeeper who has been my sounding board for most of it. I also have to apologize to him for the Ron/Hermione scene last chapter. It won't happen again. As always Harry and his friends do not belong to me- I own most of the plot and Ria-that's it. Warning on the last part- it is definitely slash and M-rated.**_

_**Thanks as always to my beta looneyli.**_

**Back to Headquarters**

The day after the tours of the muggle facilities, the group decided that they needed to get back to their own headquarters and their families. Prearranged letter exchanges were set up with the help of Jalen, and emergency portkeys were also issued to the leaders, enough for them to get out over 100 people.

On the way back to headquarters, the group stumbled upon a Death Eater raiding party. Silently the group drew their wands and prepared to attack the 20 Death Eaters.

Ria was the first to fire a spell, a silent stunner. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed quickly with their own silent spells, knocking three more enemies down. The others joined in and all of them fired a volley of spells that knocked the rest of the Death Eaters out.

The fighters walked over to the sprawled bodies of the Death Eaters and began to check them over. The tally was 12 unconscious, 6 dead, and 2 in body binds. Sirius and the rest of the Red Team began to unmask and bind the unconscious, and already somewhat bound ones, finding them to be Snape (which presented a unique opportunity to the order), Nott (both father and son), some lower level Death Eaters that the group didn't recognize, and the biggest catch– Bellatrix Lestrange. A laugh caught the attention of the six and they turned to see the Bandits smirking over the body of one of the ones who didn't make it.

When the six finally saw whom it was, they also let out laughs, and every one of the ten smirked down at the broken body of Dolores Umbridge. The group of ten had no qualms about being happy someone was dead, because a dead Death Eater meant one less murderer roaming about.

Other bodies turned out to be Lee Jordan (something which shocked the entire group), young Crabbe, young Goyle, Quirrell (which got another laugh from the Bandits and Draco), and finally Barty Couch Jr.

The group also looked through the supplies that the Death Eaters were carrying and found a large number of chains and collars. Hermion gasped in shock. "My God, they were a slaving party!"

"Not only that, but they were after magical slaves," Ria continued, "all these collars have magic suppressing spells on them. They are also child sized, meaning they were going after the newest muggle-borns who showed up on the magic scanners." All of the dimension travelers shared grim looks, and moved the bound Death Eaters together before portkeying them into headquarters holding cells.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After making the rest of the long trek back to Order headquarters, the group was pleased to find smiling faces and dinner waiting for them as they came into the room. Dumbledore caught Harry's eye, and nodded to him that the prisoners were received and locked down. Cuil was immediately handed over to Ria, giggling happily in his mother's arms.

They sat down at the table with their friends and families, enjoying the company of the people who they knew well. Laughter and talk ran along all the tables in the new dining hall of headquarters. Everybody, except for those in the hospital wing, was now able to eat at once.

Even the young children that had clung to the warriors were at the tables with them. Sami and Zach had rushed to embrace their respective adopted parents as soon as the four had walked into the room. Everyone could see the good that having children choose to stay with them was doing for Harry and Ria.

Both needed to be assured that they were desirable by people other than their lovers. The abuse they had experienced at the Dursley's had convinced them that no one would ever love or care for them, and the fickle treatment they had received throughout their Hogwarts years hadn't helped at all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry staggered into his room, exhausted from everything that had happened on the walk back from the muggle headquarters. He hated this- the pain and exhaustion that plagued him since his torture. Sometimes he just wanted to scream with the sheer frustration that his injury caused him. Now though, Harry sat on the bed and put his head into his hands, trying to gather enough strength to at least take a shower before collapsing into bed.

Ever so slowly, Harry made his way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stepped in, bracing his arms against the shower in order to keep his balance and letting the warm water run over his tense muscles. So lost in his relaxation that Harry didn't notice someone come in behind him until two arms wrapped about his waist and turned him. He found himself pushed against the shower wall, held in place by Sirius's taller and heavier form.

Lips descended on his neck, licking and sucking their way down to one of his nipples, causing Harry to moan in delight and frustration. His hands slid into Sirius's hair as he pleaded with his lover, "Oh God Siri, please, please, I want you so much!"

Sirius smirked against Harry's skin as he heard his lover's desperate pleading for more contact. Part of Sirius wanted to give in to his gorgeous lover, but the larger part just wanted to watch his lover writhe in pure, pleasurable torment. So the older man continued to work slowly down the body he knew so well, making sure to map each scar and defined muscle, before engulfing Harry in his mouth.

Harry let out an inarticulate scream as he felt the warmth of Sirius's mouth enclose over his length, his pleading became more frantic until finally he felt a slick finger brush his opening and then plunge inside.

Harry lost himself in the overwhelming sensations caused by the warm water beating down on his skin, Sirius's fingers in side him and wrapped around him. He shuddered as he finally exploded, and instead of being released as he expected, Harry heard and felt the water turn off and he found himself being carried into the bedroom and placed onto the large bed.

Sirius wasted no time once they were out of the bathroom; he concentrated fully on Harry's face, twisted in ecstasy as he plunged into Harry's prepared body. Moans echoed through the room as Sirius began to move. He thrust quick and hard inside of his lover until both of them came with loud screams.


	24. A Plan

_**Yes I know its been a while but here is the new chapter. Thanks to loonyli, without her many of my readers may have been very confused with some of the name substitutions. Also thanks to imakeeper for his help in getting this chapter started.**_

**A Plan**

Dorian sighed as the wizards left his camp and turned toward their own. Their presence had caused quite a stir within the normal – _no non-magical, magical people are normal too- _refugees. He had to work on building up the trust between the two factions. Sighing again, Dorian remembered what his predecessor told him nearly 10 years ago.

_"Dorian, the magical community was not always this. Once they were a great and proud people who wanted nothing more than to live peacefully away from us. Every prime minister before has been informed of the presence of this world, and before that, the monarchy was kept informed as well."_

_Dorian looked at his predecessor confused, "If that is so, then what has changed to cause this?"_

_The other man gave him a small half-smile, "Because, like every race and nation in existence, there are those who believe an extremist idea and will never admit they are wrong._

_The magical community has always had those few who have believed that those who stem from non-magical bloodlines are inferior, but in this century two have managed to take power._

_Grindewald in the 1930s and 1940s because of what was happening at the time in our world. Paired with the ideals of Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and their followers he had a good basis for promoting his ideals even to the critics. Eventually he was overthrown, but not before a young man was influenced by his ideals._

_You can see the results of that influence in this life. Voldemort holds us in the greatest of disdain and wishes to end our existence. Your job is to prevent that by any means possible. Good luck," with that Dorian became prime minister._

_He did tell of this talk to the Prince and was told that the Prince had also received information on the wizards from his grandmother before she had died._

Hearing it was one thing, but now Dorian had seen and lived with average, everyday witches and wizards. He knew them, and respected them. The old minister was right in his speech to Dorian, and Dorian was going to make sure that these people lived in peace.

A week later, he was waiting outside for the first group of exchange people to arrive. The wizards were sending medical teams to help heal the latest casualties from a recent skirmish, and with them would be traveling some of the fighters to train with the group.

Dorian had had his hands full trying to ensure the safety of the group within the complex, since prejudices are hard to change, and the suddenness of it didn't help much.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria lay on the bed with Jalen perched on her shoulder, and Draco was sitting next to her at the desk, going over the latest reports on the inner workings of the Order. Severus was now spying in the inner circle, and his reports had become vital to any plans the Order made.

She sighed and rolled her shoulders, stretching out all of the kinks in her neck, before standing and moving over to the crib where Cuil had pulled himself up into a standing position after his nap. He let go of the bars and reached his hands toward Ria, who froze.

"Draco, look he's standing by himself," Draco lazily glanced up and smiled at the happy mother, "Oh my gosh. Remus look," she called into the next room, when he came in she pointed at Cuil, "he's standing by himself."

Remus smiled and picked up Cuil, handing him to Ria while he went and fetched a bottle from the kitchen. Ria changed Cuil's nappy and carried him over to the bed, feeding him once Remus had come back with the bottle.

After he was done Ria set Cuil onto the floor by his toys and the familiars. Both Balin and Snuffles were very good with the kid, patient when he would climb on them or pull their tails. She turned back to her paperwork once Cuil was settled and continued the monotonous task of sorting through all the reports from the field. When she got to Severus' report, a concerned frown fixed itself to her face.

_**Shadow,**_

_**More slaving groups have been going out lately. He is still trying to counteract the rumors of the escape from His dungeons. Now is the perfect time to make a move. Something big is in the works and He needs manpower for it. Do not let Him get any more slaves.**_

_**SS**_

Ria made her way out into the main hall and handed the note to the other three-fourths of the Bandits, feeling better when a smirk crossed Ron's features. Ron stood and began to gather up some maps and charts, spreading them all out on the long table in the back of the room, motioning his friends to join him.

All three gathered around the table and waited for Ron to speak, he was in his planning mode and nothing stood in his way then. Finally he looked up, "I think we can pull this off. We have access through Dorian to the list of the newly realized muggle-born, and we can set teams of two or three to watch them and ambush any slavers.

Our biggest problem is the adults and those slaves that have already been captured. It may be time for the special teams to begin preparing for their first missions, we have been training them for this for months."

Harry and Ria exchanged glances, almost reading each other's minds, both nodding in agreement with Ron's plan. Ron whistled for Devlin, and Ria attached a response for him to take to Severus.

**_Dungeon Bat,_** (something she wrote just to piss him off)

_**Received the message. Measures are being taken. Stay safe.**_

_**Shadow**_

Ria also sent a message to Dorian with Jalen, informing him of the new intelligence received and requesting some of his people to help with the plan. Once that message was on its way she turned to Ron, "Will this really work?"

Those people who were present and not part of the original ten travelers looked up startled and somewhat fearfully, they had learned that questioning Ron's strategies was not something to be done, and they were surprised when Ron looked up calmly, "Yes, as long as that spell you have been working on to cloak the muggle guns and spot Death Eaters works."

She nodded, "Good. We're all set then," the Bandits exchanged such vindictive smirks, smirks they bore whenever battle was to be joined or a perfect plan put into effect, that it scared those who had not seen it before.

Harry turned toward Dumbledore, who had joined them while Ron had been planning, "Gather the Order; call a meeting for tomorrow morning. We have work to get done, and it must be done quickly."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Ria sat sullenly on the bed with Remus laying next to her, lazily tracing a pattern across her back with his fingers, "What's wrong baby?"

"I feel useless Rem. I'm going to be stuck here, destined to nothing but coordination and paperwork."

"Baby, you're not useless. I know you want to be out in the field, but you are needed more here. Harry will be here with you, as will I. The work you do is going to help us win."

She lay down and turned into him, breathing in his comforting scent, "God Rem, I am lucky to have you."

He smiled down at her cheekily, "I know. I am the perfect specimen of man, aren't I?"

She laughed and agreed with him, "Most definitely Rem, most definetly."

"Sleep baby," he pressed a light kiss to her lips and stroked her hair, the familiar motion lulling both to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In another room, Harry was taking out his frustrations at the fact that he would be left behind in a completely different manner.

Sirius winced as the third book slammed into the wall, barely missing his head. He moved to interrupt Harry's fit, but as he approached and felt the fluctuating magic swirling he thought better of it. Soon though, Harry was worn out and had collapsed on the bed.

"Harry? Love, do you want to talk about it?" Sirius was hesitant in approaching him.

"It's not fair. Why me, Siri? I hate him so much for taking away my mobility."

Sirius gathered Harry into a warm embrace, "I'm sorry love. I don't have any answers."

Harry turned his face upwards and caught Sirius's lips in a passionate kiss. Sirius soon took control and turned over so that Harry was below him. He slowly removed their clothing and kissed his way down Harry's scarred and muscled chest, while one hand was fumbling for his wand to cast a lubrication charm.

Harry was soon moaning as Sirius filled him with his cum, his body responded and soon, he too reached his peak. The lovers lay sated in each other's arms, taking comfort from the other's embrace.


	25. The Order In Action

_**AN: This is unbetaed but as soon I receive my betaed forms I will post it.**_

**The Order in Action**

The next morning found the Order gathered around the kitchen table, cups of tea and coffee grasped in their hands. At the head of the table stood the four Bandits, maps spread out behind them. A list of names and special operation teams were laid out on the table top, with the mission description by them.

Ron stepped forward, effectively directing the Order's attention toward himself, "Yesterday we received a rather disturbing note from our spy in Voldemort's ranks. This note has caused us to agree to step up our plans for the special ops teams.

The teams will be subject to two more days of intense training before they are sent into the field.

Every special ops team has prepared for this moment and we are certain that these plans can be pulled off without a problem.

Lily, Peter, and Moony, your teams are going to be assigned to watching homes of muggleborns. Each member will be assigned a muggle partner,

Ria and Hermione have perfected the charms for detecting dark marks, so that will make things easier. Over the next few weeks a gradual evacuation of muggleborns and their families will be taking place. We hope to draw very little attention from the Death Eaters.

For the teams led by James, Padfoot, Sirius, and Bill the infiltration of the camps and the extraction of prisoners will be the main goal. You will concentrate on getting the youngest and fittest witches and wizards.

Voldemort is planning something big, and he needs his system to be stable, it is our job to rock his world," the last part was said with a smirk, mirrored by the other Bandits.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day the muggle sharpshooters arrived and the teams were deployed. Extraction teams were also sent out to watch the camps that they would later be responsible for infiltrating.

Ron and Neville would be leading the actual extractions over the course of the next month. Draco had declined the mission, choosing instead to head out with the sharpshooters in case he was needed at headquarters for any reason. Hermione was of course staying behind to tend to any wounded that came in.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria sighed and stood from her desk, beginning to pace back and forth across the bedroom, nimbly stepping over Snuffles, who was lying in the middle of the floor. She couldn't settle down at all today, the special ops teams had been deployed and so far everything had gone to plan, but she had a feeling that this was only the calm before the storm.

Remus tried to suppress a smile as he watched her move gracefully across the room, "Ria, baby, pacing and worrying is not going to help anything, come to bed and stop worrying."

"I'm sorry Rem, it's just that I have this feeling that magic is trying to send me a vision, but it can't decide what I need to see."

"Well maybe we need to open up the pathway and make you relax."

Ria rolled her eyes, "You just want to have sex."

He shrugged, "It is a convenient side-effect."

"You're lucky you're so cute."

"Come here baby," he pulled her towards him by her shirt, nuzzling her neck and running his hands under her shirt. Ria surrendered as she felt Remus unhooking her bra.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily was perched on a rooftop across from the home of a 12-year-old muggle-born and her family. So far there had been no sign of Death Eater activity in the area, though one of her team had encountered a lone scout in his.

Peter and Moony had the same general reports as well. Nothing but life continuing on as normal for these people.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Halfway across the country from where Lily was perched, James was scouting out a prison camp with a group of three men, Ron included. As they watched the guards change shifts and the prisoners line up for roll call, identical cerulean blue eyes met across the barbed wire, magically charged fence, and Ron found himself staring at himself.

Shaking himself out of shock Ron turned and wrote a quick report to Ria, sending it off with Devlin. This may give them an extra boost inside the camp if they are able to get a message to him and if the other Hermione is still in a camp to her as well.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria was lying in bed with Remus when a searing pain ripped through her head causing her to sit up gasping before she was assaulted with a vision. The following cry of pain woke Remus, who wrapped his arms around Ria's shaking form, waiting for her to come out of the vision.

When she finally came back to reality Ria scrambled toward the door, but only managed to make it halfway before collapsing. Remus ran over to her, "Arianna you have to tell me what you saw."

"Lily, the Death Eaters are coming, they are going to be over-whelmed. Send help to them…" the rest of her statement turned into a cry of pain as another vision assaulted her.

Jalen flamed into the room, followed shortly by Hermione, Draco, and Harry, who she had obviously alerted. Remus looked up at them, "She just came out of her first vision, Lily's being attacked and overwhelmed. One of you needs to go, but don't cal anyone else off their posts until she comes out of this one."

Draco left the room at a run heading toward the apparation point, hoping to get to Lily before it was too late. As Draco left the room Ria came out of her second vision, "'Mione you need to set up the hospital. Tell Poppy that a large group is coming in, we lost none but they had some trouble getting away from the Death Eaters."

'Mione nodded, "Who's group is it, Ria?"

"Peter's." Harry and Hermione quickly left the room to get everything ready.

Remus helped Ria back into bed, wrapping the blanket around her, before lying down and cradling her to him. She curled in to him and slowly managed to drift back to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the hospital wing Poppy and Hermione were frantically trying to make sure everything was prepared for the influx of patients about to arrive. Harry was standing ready, accompanied by Molly Weasley, at the portkey point for all of the incoming wounded.

The first group arrived and Harry ushered the three injured young muggle-borns into the wing, letting the women take over from there. Peter and his partner arrived next, towing three Death Eaters along as well. The other two pairs, one with two Death Eaters and the other with four followed them.

When he landed Peter looked at Harry and gave his report, "Everything worked just like you planned, except that we were outnumbered, but we did manage to get all the targets removed from the area. The counts are four Death Eaters dead, nine captured, and five escaped. From our side we all made it back, though all of us are injured."

Harry nodded to Peter and waved him to the hospital wing. He bound the prisoners and levitated them to the cells below the headquarters, deciding to take care of finding out their identities at a later date. Shouts from the level above sent him heading back upstairs, coming face-to-face with his mother and a group of people he didn't recognize.

Draco's head appeared at the back of the group, along with four other Order members and their muggle partners. He pushed his way to the front, his voice quickly shaking Harry out of his daze, "Harry, is the hospital wing set up?"

"What? Oh, yes it's all ready, take everyone there for a check-up, but someone needs to tell me what happened and then write up a report."

Draco nodded, turned, and gave instructions to the group standing there, they all left, leaving behind a group of ten prisoners. He focused back on Harry, "There were over thirty Death Eaters Flame. We weren't prepared for that number, and the only reason we managed to get back was that the muggles in the village began to fight with us. After that I couldn't leave them there so I brought them with me here."

Harry looked thoughtful, "This is good in a way Draco. Maybe the muggles are finally beginning to get their hope back, before they wouldn't have helped us fight. I'll take the prisoners down, you go get checked over."

Once the prisoners were stripped of their wands and robes, Harry left them in the cells with their comrades and headed upstairs to check on Ria before he collapsed from exhaustion. Ria and Remus were asleep, with Cuil between them, the wounded had been taken care of, and all the other reports from the other teams were positive so Harry felt that he could finally relax. He climbed into bed and fell asleep wishing that Sirius was there with him instead of out on a mission.


	26. A New Recruit

_**AN: I know it's been forever since I updated, but I had so much going on. Finals are this week at school, but then I'm done and I'll have all summer to write and I plan to so hope for quick updates. Anyway please review. I want to know your feelings, and I would really like a few more reviews than normal. Thanks. Also I have two Ron's in this chapter, the one from Harry's dimension will be referred to as Mutt when I speak about the two of them in the same place.**_

**A New Recruit!**

The group of Order members waiting outside the camp, in which Ron was located, began to plan a way to smuggle a message into him. As of now the best idea they had was to let Mutt transform and cross to the barbed wire, and it was the one they decided to use. James wrote a note and Mutt headed toward the fence, staying low to the ground, making his way toward where Ron was working on repairs. He left the note at Ron's feet and slinked into the bushes.

Ron reached for the note as it fluttered down over the fence and he cautiously opened it:

_Ron-it is not easy-,_ he relaxed after that, _this is going to sound strange but the dog in front of you is the animagus form if a you from a different dimension who has come to help us overthrow Voldie. Nod if you understand and accept this. _(Ron nodded)._ Good, we need to break the prisoners out of here. He is planning something. Will you help? And is Hermione still alive? -Prongs_

Ron nodded to both of the last questions and slipped the note back under the fence to Mutt as two guards began an inspection of the workers.

Later that night Mutt and Sirius apparated back to headquarters to go over the new plans that the discovery of an alive Ron and Hermione. Much to their surprise they found headquarters silent, and they both went to find to their lovers in order to make sure they were all right.

Sirius found Harry sleeping restlessly in their bed; he climbed in next to him and immediately felt Harry settle down. Harry stirred a few moments later, smiling happily when he saw Sirius lying next to him. Sirius leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Harry's lips and, with Harry's arms wrapped around him; Sirius fell asleep the easiest he had in days.

Ron went looking for Hermione, and was unable to find to find her in their rooms or anywhere else, until he finally looked in the hospital, where he found her sleeping on a spare cot in an almost full ward. Ron wondered what had happened in the three days they were gone, this was the fullest he had ever seen the infirmary.

The next morning the group met in their commons to discuss how the prisoners should be handled. It was decided that each should be questioned, with Sirius, Remus, and Ron being the front men on the job.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Severus looked up as the door to the cell he was sharing with four others opened and Black and the Wolf stepped in. He knew by the looks on their faces and their simple black clothing that the Death eaters were in for some long and arduous questioning sessions.

Black came and roughly grabbed him, twisting his arms sharply behind his back, while the wolf grabbed the youngest member of the party, 24-year-old Cassiopeia Lestrange. The two prisoners were led out of the room and Severus was taken into an interrogation room, "Hey Sev!"

"Oh dear lord, you _are_ going to torture me aren't you?"

"Of course, you are a Death Eater," Harry whispered conspiratorially back.

"Funny Potter, real funny. Anyway the Dark Lord is getting frustrated and he wants to move his plans forward, except that he's beginning to suspect that there is a spy on the inside. He has set Regulus the task of finding them. Also he put a kill-on-sight order out on you and an order that neither Cuil nor Ria were to be harmed in any way if captured."

"Do you know why?"

"No. Also _HE_ is beginning to get nervous about his big plan, watch for him to speed up the deportations."

Harry sighed and nodded his head, accepting the information from the spy, "Alright, is there anyone who we can turn the suspicions to?"

"Yes, and she is actually in the other interrogation room. She also is a werewolf and doesn't want to be a Death Eater."

"Who is she?" Harry was curious as to who this new player could be.

"Cassiopeia Lestrange. She was given no choice by her parents to even leave the Dark Lord's compound, so she had no other option except to accept the dark mark."

"I'll have Remus and Ria talk to her, we'll have to assign a guard to her until she is cleared as safe, but can you make it look like she was somehow spying?"

"Of course I can, Potter," Severus drawled.

"Perfect, so who would you prefer to beat you up?"

Severus answered with a resigned tone, "Better let Black do it, he tends to make it very believable."

Harry nodded once again and left, sending Sirius in on his way out. Sirius nodded at Severus, "You ready?"

"Go ahead Black."

Sirius's first punch landed in his stomach. The rest rained down, until a lucky one caught his temple and knocked him unconscious. Sirius cringed, not meaning to cause him to pass out. He picked up the limp body and drug him back to the cell, throwing him in, and headed back to the main area, praying that Severus wouldn't kill him for that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cassiopeia Lestrange sat in the dark room the Order members had left her in, for what seemed hours, before the door opened and a man she immediately smelled to be a werewolf walked in. "Please help me," she begged the man.

"Why?"

"I had no choice in getting this mark and I'll tell you everything I know. My parents hate me, I've never killed or tortured anyone, and I just want out. Please!"

"Miss Lestrange…"

"No call me Cassie or Cassiopeia, but not my last name please."

"Fine Cassiopeia, I have to speak with the others before I accept your offer. Someone will be in shortly to speak with you."

The next time someone entered her room it was a young woman around Cassiopeia's age. The way the light fell blocked her face from sight, and the dog that followed her growled in warning when Cassiopeia moved slightly in her chair. The girl immediately shushed the dog with a sharp, "Quiet Padfoot."

The woman sat directly across from her, "So I'm told that you want to come over to our side. Why should we accept a Death Eater?" The last two words were said with a sneer.

"Please, I never wanted to be a Death Eater. I hate it. It makes me completely sick to even think about what I'll be expected to do. I never had choice in getting this mark, I've never even been off Voldemort's compound until I was sent on this mission."

Ria could hear the sincerity in the woman's words, and she decided to offer her a deal. "I believe you, and we will let you join us with a couple of conditions first."

Cassiopeia nodded.

"First you must accept that you will have a guard with you 24 hours a day. Second you will not be allowed on missions for at least six-moths and in the Headquarters you will be a researcher and you will help out where we need you. Lastly we need you to take the fall of being our spy in the Death Eater ranks."

Seeing no other way to get what she wanted, she took the deal and thanked the woman for understanding her predicament. Again she had to watch as the door closed leaving her alone in the room. The same man who had brought her there and first questioned her came back in and whispered to her to follow their lead when back with her comrades.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Severus awoke cursing Sirius and the headache he gave him. He looked over at Cassiopeia and saw that she looked better than he had ever seen her, and figured out what had happened, they had accepted her plea and he now had a part to play.

"Well, well, well Cassie, looks like you came back from your questioning unharmed. What did you tell them to escape a beating?"

She saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was setting her up for a fall, "Nothing Snape, maybe they just don't hit women."

The rest of the Death Eaters in the cell sat up and listened as the argument raged. She knew she was going to lose against Snape and grew nervous, wondering where the Order members were. Eventually they began to circle her, and fearing for her life she banged on the door. Much to her relief it opened and she was pulled into a strong pair of arms. The man who had rescued her grinned down at her as they walked away from the cells, "Hello, my name is Remus, but most call me Moony. You probably met my other self yesterday. Anyway I'm to be your guard for the next few days."

Cassiopeia blushed when he smiled at her, "Oh, um it's nice to meet you. I'm Cassiopeia Lestrange, but you can call me Cassie."

Moony noticed the reaction her got out of her and smiled, thinking it was nice to have a girl notice him again, "So I guess you want the grand tour?"

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, I have nothing to do until dinner in an hour."

Moony showed her all the parts of Headquarters she would have access to and her bedroom, which would only be accessible through his. The only time he saw any confusion on her face was when Ria asked him where Remus was. He promised to explain everything after dinner. As he showed her to her room after dinner Moony was surprised to realize just how much he enjoyed her company, and how relieved he was that the raven-haired young woman had seemed to like him back.

Cassie went to sleep that night happy to know that she escaped from her fate as a Death Eater. Though she was a bit incredulous at the fact that dimension travelers had arrived here, but she was amazed at the feelings of welcome and acceptance that she got from this group. She listened to the sounds of breathing from all around the complex, the noises that no one wanted to keep out, and for the first time felt truly at home.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Hello my readers. I have finally completed this chapter. It was birthday on the 28**__**th**__**, so reviews would make great b-day presents from you all. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

**Chapter 27**

Cassie woke early the next morning, she was slightly confused about where she was, but when Moony stuck his head into the room everything from the previous two days came back full force. She got up and dressed, meeting Moony in his room and letting him escort her to the kitchen.

Ria, Hermione, Molly, and some of the children she had met last night were the only ones at the table when she and Moony came in. Molly immediately pushed them both into seats and gave them two mountainous platefuls.

Doubting that she could eat everything set before her, but not wanting to be rude or ungrateful to one of the people who had saved her, Cassie began to eat. She was definitely relieved when Moony leaned over and whispered to her, "Don't worry about eating all of it. Molly just fusses. One of the others will eat the leftovers." Cassie nodded and smiled up at the kind man.

When she was about halfway finished with her meal, Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Harry arrived in the room, all of them freshly showered. Ria and Hermione frowned at them, "You four were up early. What were you doing?"

"Don't worry so much 'Mione. We were just getting some information from our prisoners."

"I wasn't worried Ronald Weasley, I am angry that you chose not to inform me of what was going on."

"I agree with 'Mione. You guys never used to hide these actions from us. Why are you doing so now? It's not like we would have asked to come with or anything, but why did you sneak? You would have had to tell us everything anyway."

"I really didn't think of it as sneaking. You and 'Mione were sound asleep, Sis. Both of you looked like you could use it, so we chose not to wake you."

"All right, but I want your reports on my desk by lunchtime," Cassie watched as Ria frowned once again, but noticed the frown was directed more inward than anything else. The men sat down and, as Moony had predicted, grabbed the leftovers off of the finished plates, hers included.

Later she was shown to the library and map room, where Moony told her that she would be spending much of her time, doing the research she promised. Cassie smiled in delight at the large and quiet room, happy to immerse herself in helping the light.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Scotland the group outside of the main prison camp was also having a very good morning. The changing of the shifts was so predictable that the group would have no problem knowing which guards were on duty at any given time and how to take those guards out. James had sent the information and preliminary plan back to headquarters, now they were awaiting the okay to begin.

Hermione and Ron, the two in the camp, had both been contacted and at the agreed upon signal would have the inmates ready to evacuate. Both of them had been anxious to get far away from the camp and back to their families.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria nearly cried when she saw the pile of paper on her desk, and she nearly screamed her frustration when, as she sat down, she felt decidedly lustful and ecstatic feelings flowing from Harry and Sirius's room.

She began to grumble under her breath, "Stupid brothers; stupid godfathers; bloody stupid paperwork." The chuckling in the doorway caught her attention. "What the hell do you want Remus? Don't you dare come in here unless you are prepared to help me sort through all this paperwork."

"Hmm…" Remus tilted his head to the side, "will I get a reward if I do?"

"Yeah, you'll get to actually sleep in this bed tonight instead of on the couch, and I'll even refrain from turning you purple during the next full moon."

Remus winced at her threats, knowing that she would make good on them, "Sounds good to me, pass over a stack and I'll get to work."

"Thanks Rem, you can put Cuil down in here with Snuffles and then grab this stack."

Remus nodded and put his son on the ground, conjuring some small figurines and stuffed animals for him to play with (by small I mean things not easily swallowed by a baby). He took about a quarter of the forms off Ria's desk and began to sort through them.

They settled into a pattern and for an hour worked steadily through the massive pile of paperwork. Ria smiled as she finally set down the last report. She picked up the ones that Harry and Ron needed to see, giving them to Jalen to deliver.

Remus stood and stretched, "Ria, baby, you seem worried. Is everything alright?"

"Neville's group hasn't reported in weeks Rem. Not since they shipped out," she sighed.

"Why don't you ask Severus to scout around?"

She grimaced, "I was hoping that they would send a report, but now I have to. This will distract Severus badly and we need him to not get caught. He is the most reliable flow of information that this group has."

He rested his hands on her shoulders, "Arianna," the use of her full name proved how serious Remus was, "you can't keep this from the others much longer. Severus has spied for years, he knows how to handle himself, and the others deserve to know."

Her head dipped in defeat, "Alright, I'll tell them today. Will you bring Severus up from the dungeons for me?"

"Sure I'll do it now."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Severus was startled when Remus dragged him out of his cell for a second time in two days. Usually he would just be questioned and then left alone until a plausible escape was contrived. When Ria met him in the interrogation room looking decidedly upset, he knew something was definitely wrong. He sat as Remus left and turned his full attention to Ria.

"Severus, you know that Neville was in charge of one of the special teams?"

Severus nodded stiffly, already guessing where she was going with everything.

Ria shifted in her seat, "We haven't heard anything from them since the group went out."

Severus could barely contain his fury, she had kept this from him for weeks, "Why the hell did you wait so long to tell me!!!"

"I didn't want to distract you from your work, and I had hoped that he would check in soon. Neville's usually good about getting out of things himself."

"You had no right to keep this from me Arianna. I could have found something out for you. If they were alive, dead, captured."

She took in a shuddering breath, "Severus you have every right to be angry with me, but at the time I did what I thought was best, and I stand by the decision now. Nothing could have come from you knowing this information and you know it!

Don't you dare start lecturing me Severus Snape! I am not a student in you class anymore. You have trusted me for years to make the correct decision when it comes to those under my command. If I had told you about Neville, you would have spent hours worrying over him and would have been distracted. We can't afford to lose one of the only spies we have.

I swear to you Severus that I will do everything in my power to bring Neville back, but you have to trust me. Trust me like you've always done since you joined the team."

Severus remained perfectly still as Ria went into her tirade. His head slowly drooped as she went on, knowing that she was right. He nodded as she finished, "I'm sorry. I just was so worried about him."

Ria smiled slightly at Severus, she gave him a small hug and walked out of the room. Remus came in and escorted him back to his cell, where he settled in for a long wait.


	28. The Plan

_**AN: I am so sorry this took so long getting up. I have been so busy the last few months. I am now in England, at the University of Reading, studying for the year. Hopefully I will not be so insanely busy and will be able to continue work on all of my fics. Please, please review! I write faster the more reviews I have. 22 people have me on their alerts list and all I ask is for 6 or 7 reviews. Thanks!**_

**The Plan**

A group of ten met late at night three days after Ria's conversation with Severus. Ron had been given the task of planning the escape of Severus and a few other Death Eaters and the release of the camp prisoners, only the dimension travelers and Dumbledore would be in on the planning for security reasons, there had been a leak recently and the group was having trouble finding the source. All of them were anxious for the plans to be finished and approved so that they could start researching Neville's location.

Ron stood at the head of the meeting table; "The best way for us to accomplish both of our goals is to do them at nearly the same time. This will take very careful planning and nearly perfect timing. We will use the distraction of the camps to release our prisoners without causing too much suspicion.

Severus, your job is going to be the most important. You have to make sure that you lead the attack at precisely the right time, without any casualties."

Severus sneered, "I _have_ done this before Weasley. I think I can handle it." The Bandits just smiled at his tone, knowing it was his way of being reassuring.

After he received nods from everyone else, Ron continued, "We are going to aim for early evening for the attack. From the information we have received that is the time the workers are being marched back from their positions. It is chaotic enough that our two insiders should be able to create a distraction without drawing unwanted attention.

At the same time, we will be transferring half of the prisoners to the muggle underground. It is at this point Severus will begin to prepare his colleagues to escape. What ever you do Severus; you must convince the Death Eaters to get away without killing anyone. The Death Eaters wands will remain here, so that should limit the amount of damage done. As the Death Eaters run, they are to be herded toward the perimeter of the nearest camp, causing as much fuss as possible, toward the front gate in order to allow the escapees out the back.

I will be heading back to my group; Sirius will also be needed in his old group. Hermione and Remus will need to be two of the escorts. We will inform the other participants the morning of the attack in order to prevent a leak. Is all of this clear?"

Everyone nodded to Ron and the meeting broke up. Soon it was only the four Bandits left in the room. The four merely sat together for a few moments before Harry broke the silence, "This is a good plan Ron, but don't you think that it relies too much on chance."

"I know you're concerned, but we've used plans similar to this before and they've worked perfectly. This will work Harry, it has to."

Harry turned to his sister, "Any word on Neville, Ria?"

"I sent some people out to scout the area, they have reported back that a fight definitely took place. There were no bodies or blood found at the scene. They also found traces of a portkey, but the signature was too old to track. I need more information before I can conclude anything else. We must wait for our spies to be back in place."

"And what of our spies?"

"I just don't know Hermione. I mean I trust Albus's judgment, but the information they give is seriously lacking most of the time. Regulus manages to get some out. Severus is the best chance we have at getting any meaningful information out of Voldemort's plans. It's surprising that the Order managed to survive this long with what news they were getting. And now we have a leak."

Ria shook her head, "I wish we could just get this war over with. I don't want Cuil to grow up here and I miss the stress-free life of being Minister of Magic."

Harry snorted, "Stress-free? Your job?"

"It's better than this. I hate war, you guys know that."

Hermione patted her on the shoulder, "Soon it will be over, and then we can leave."

"I hope so. I can't stay here much longer. Cuil will not grow up here, in this world."

Harry nodded his agreement, "None of us want to stay here for much longer. We'll stay for a few more months, but after that we will go back home. We fought this war once, we have no obligation to do it again."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the four Bandits were having their meeting, Regulus was attending the Death Eater meeting. Voldemort had been growing more desperate to catch the Order recently and he was working on a plan to search out headquarters in order to kill them all. His orders to the followers had become 'kill on sight', unless it was a time traveler. Regulus had been unable to leave Voldemort's capital in the last two weeks; the Dark Lord was trying to flush out spies.

Regulus was getting worried that the Order would walk right into one of his traps. Voldemort had been spreading rumors of some big project, hoping to draw the Order into freeing prisoners. Though the plans of increasing security on the camps had been postponed because of the capture of thirty-one Death Eaters and the death of ten in the last month. Voldemort just didn't have enough manpower to over-staff the camps.

As he was escorted back to his rooms, Regulus tried to think of some way to send a message back to headquarters. However all his planning was for naught when he got to his room and saw Jalen perched on top of the dresser, waiting for a message. Five minutes later, Jalen flamed away with a hastily scribbled note attached to her leg.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was at breakfast the next morning that Harry noticed the missive from Regulus. He handed it over to Ron immediately and Ron read through it before smiling and nodding at the Bandits, letting them know that it was good news.

Ron leaned toward Harry, "Begin to gather the teams. It's time."


	29. And We Finally Get On With It

_**AN: I am so sorry that this has taken so long to get out. Really I have no excuse, but you will have to accept my explanation that work has just swamped my life. I am still studying in England and this term I have 8 papers and 2 presentations due in the course of 10 weeks, so life has been a little crazy. Please review, it really does make me try and update faster. **_

**And We Finally Get On With It**

At dawn the next morning the four Bandits were to be found in the kitchen surrounded by numerous maps and letter. Jalen was flaming in and out of the room with messages for all of the planners clutched in her talons. According to each team leader everything was in place for the next phase of the plan, and Severus had assured them that he would be able to handle his part.

As the other order members filed into the kitchen a silence fell over everyone. It was a silence filled with the weight of a world's hopes and dreams. This would be the first time anyone had managed to break into or out of a camp, and many believed that if the Bandits could pull this off then they could do anything to defy Voldemort.

Ron and Sirius had departed late the night before to join the attack force, and this morning Harry would be joining first them, and then the groups stationed at the other camps. In their final reconnaissance gathering the groups had found powerful wards, too powerful for most wizards to overcome, surrounding the properties, hidden under and weaved into the main wards and most of the Order felt that if Harry pulled down the wards he would be able to withstand the backlash against his magic and continue onto the next area without resting for more than a few moments.

Remus and Ria would be remaining at headquarters in order to coordinate the attacks and send in backup when needed. The portkeys that had been issued would deposit the incoming former prisoners and their escorts outside the threshold of headquarters, before each would be given a quick check and sent to one of the holding areas. It pained the Bandits to have to keep the escapees separate, but Ron and Harry knew that it was the safest and most efficient way to get everybody back home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the prisoners were brought up from the cells, most of the Order fell back into private rooms, and those that were present remained perfectly silent. Draco and Ginny would be the lead escorts on the team, with Peter, Fred, George, and Bill going along. McGonagall would be responsible for watching the drop point, where the escape would happen, to make sure the Death Eaters did not kill anyone and she would act as the signal .

Snape maneuvered himself to the center of the group. Ready to instigate the trouble when he needed to. He nodded his head to Jalen, who was perched on the rafters of the building, knowing that Ria would be watching the transfer. Each Death Eater had his hands bound behind his back and then chained to the next Death Eater.

When he left headquarters, Snape shifted into a hyper-alert mood, his body became tenser and his eyes darted everywhere, watching for the signal. They would have to walk three miles to the border of the 'safe' land before the signal would come, but when it came the plan would have to be implemented quickly and efficiently.

When the tabby cat ran across the road an hour later, Severus steeled himself with a quick thought of his Neville, and stumbled. His stumble caused the two Death Eaters he was chained to too also lose their footing and the guards had to stop the procession. It was Bill who helped Severus up, and he became the first 'casualty' of the fight.

Severus pulled Bill to the ground and picked up his wand and stunned him before checking to see if the others had picked up on the chance to escape, thankfully they had. Trying to keep the damage to the group of Order members to a minimum without looking suspicious. Guards from the nearby camp heard the commotion and went running toward it, once they entered the fray the Order members stayed only long enough to look like they put up a defense.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry waited until he saw some of the guards take off before he began to start unweaving the wards surrounding the camp. On the other side of the fence he could hear shouts and screams as the prisoners fought against the remaining guards. It was race against time for Harry and the rescue committees, Harry had to move quickly from the first camp to the second and finally to the third (they were only attempting to free one major and two minor camps at this time).

The group of fighters rushed through the gates when Harry indicated that he had managed to pull down the ward. Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder when he passed him, and Harry took comfort from his friend before apparating to the next location.

At the next two minor camps Harry encountered less trouble pulling down the wards, and the prisoners portkeyed to safety without too much trouble. Harry took his own portkey back to the main hallway of Headquarters where he met his sister who was waiting for him with a bottle of pain-relief potion, causing him to realize just how much his leg had started to hurt.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria watched as her friends and family departed Order Headquarters, sending with them her silent prayers for safety. Cuil was clutched tightly in her arms and Samantha and Zach both stood behind her legs. This plan could go horribly wrong and those left at headquarters were left with nothing to do but wait for a call to help. For once Ria did not envy her brother of her friends their part in the coming attack, Ria now had a family to look after and she would not do anything to endanger that.

One-by-one the members that had escorted the Death Eaters returned and were treated for any injuries they had recieved. The first message that came to her was a relief, Severus had managed to successfully return to Voldemort's citadel. It was shortly after that when the call went up that Mutt and James had arrived back with the group from the major camp. Out of the numerous people rescued, four were brought into headquarters proper while the rest were sent onto holding areas until they could send them home. Ron, Hermione, Dean Thomas (who had been on Neville's team), and much to Ria's relief Neville himself were brought into the hospital wing.

The groups from the other two camps came into the reception areas in quick succession. Sirius, Padfoot, Moony, and Harry coming in with that group. Ria handed her brother a pain-relief potion, it looked like he needed it. The all clear was given and the tension saturating headquarters slowly bled away with the news that no guards had managed to grab onto or track the portkeys.

It was with a sigh of relief that Ria herded the children and her friends into the kitchen to eat, though she didn't join them. She needed to find Sneak and see how Neville was and if he was awake yet. Sneak was thankfully in the infirmary and knew exactly why Ria had come. Ria froze in shock as she saw Neville lying on the bed. He looked awful, multiple lacerations marred his face, and any traces of pudginess that had still clung to Neville despite everything were gone.

"Severus is going to kill me," Ria muttered as she looked at her friend, almost brother.

A quiet chuckle startled her, Neville was smiling softly at her. "I'm glad you're okay Nev. I'll let Severus know. He will be back to visit you as soon as he possibly can." A nod was all that she received in reply before he closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep.


	30. An Overlooked Problem

Severus clutched the missive from Ria to his chest, holding back his tears , Neville was safe at Phoenix Headquarters

_**AN: Yes! Another chapter. I know where this story is going now, so updates should be more frequent, but I won't guarantee it because this term looks to be kind of crazy. I am looking for a new beta, if anyone is interested please let me know. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter.**_

_**As always please review, it really does motivate me to write faster, and any if you have anything to critique let me know, I want to be a better writer.**_

_**Enjoy the chapter.**_

_**Aria**_

**An Overlooked Problem**

Severus clutched the missive from Ria to his chest, holding back his tears (yes Severus Snape did cry over a loved one, get over it); Neville was safe at Phoenix Headquarters. After taking a moment to recover, Severus scribbled a reply back to her:

_Shadow,_

_Your message was received, thank you for the information. Plans are unclear at the moment, though the loss of some important people has set back any action. Still don't know what the plan was, trying to find out, will let you know as soon as I can. I have healed from whatever injuries the black mutt may have given me; I hope you have some words with him about aiming more carefully in the future. The rest of my colleagues have not been so lucky, whatever curses your _Muscle_ used worked wonders. The Lestranges are quite upset at the news that their daughter seems to have been a security leak, she has been put on the most wanted list, though Voldemort has asked for her alive, probably to allow her mother to kill her as punishment._

_SS_

Jalen flamed away with the message clutched in her talons, and Severus prepared himself for a meeting with Lord Voldemort.

--

In Headquarters the rescued prisoners were recovering well from the trials they had faced in the camps. Ria and Harry spent days gathering information from all the rescued people, traveling to refugee camps all over the area. Ron, Hermione, and Neville had the most useful information because they had been labeled as high security prisoners and had therefore been kept close to the guards, hearing the most gossip.

The Weasleys visited the infirmary everyday, driving both Sneak and Poppy insane with their 'disrespect' for the recovery of the patients. Word had been sent to the Grangers in the muggle headquarters, and an escort would bring them back to see their daughter within the next few days. Hermione was anxious to see her parents, she hadn't really spoken with them in over 5 years and she wanted to apologize for finding her new life with the wizards more important than her old.

Mutt and Sneak seemed to get on well with their counterparts. The first meeting had been very interesting though, just thinking about it made the dimension travelers laugh. Ron had awoken and seen Sneak checking on him, thinking that it was his Hermione Ron had reached for her and pulled her onto the bed and kissed her. At the same moment that had happened, Mutt came into the room, saw what was going on and yanked Sneak away from Ron. The two men had shared hostile stares before Sneak had begun laughing, joined shortly by identical laughter from the next bed as Hermione, who had already been introduced to the travelers, woke up.

--

Mutt and Ron had spent the last few days working on plans to lure Voldemort out in order to kill him, but so far the only plans that had a chance to work were deemed too dangerous for those involved, all except one. Mutt did not know if his two commanders and best friends would go for the idea, still he let Ron talk him into presenting it to Harry. Which was why he was standing in front of the door to Harry's room, shifting nervously from foot to foot, trying to gain enough courage to present the plan to him.

What Mutt didn't know was that Ria was in the room with Harry, and had felt his nervousness, finally she told Harry to just open the door and force Mutt to come in.

"Hey Mutt, what's going on?"

"Harry could I talk to you and Ria about something? Ron and I think we might have a way to get you, fully armed, to Voldemort."

"That's great Mutt, how?" Both Harry and Ria gave him expectant looks, waiting for the plan.

"It would involve polyjuice potion and some trickery, not to mention getting our spies within the inner circle to risk exposure," Mutt said in a rush.

Ria took the lead, "Who would be polyjuiced?"

"Harry would need to polyjuiced as you."

"So you would offer me as a trade to Voldemort?"

"Yes, but the difficult part is to have him personally come and get you. If we can get him out of the manor for a little while then with Harry close enough to him, all we need is a well-placed dagger and a killing curse."

Harry was nodding his head, already agreeing with the plan, but Ria caught something neither of the boys did, "Does the Voldemort have horcruxes?"

Mutt opened his mouth and then shut it, twice, before speaking, "I have no idea. We should have been looking for them since the moment we arrived. If does, how are we going to get to them? With all the extra time he has had here it is perfectly possible that they are protected way beyond what we experienced at home."

Both Harry and Ria sighed, "So I guess it's time to start the searches. Ria do you think you're up to it?"

"I can definitely manage the spells and aura searches, but I think that someone else needs to go into the field with you guys. What about you Harry?"

"I have to go, I'm the only one who can cast the spells to destroy the soul fragments."

"You can't keep up."

Harry began to get angry with his sister, "What do mean? I can keep up!"

Ria sighed in exasperation, "No you can't Harry. With your leg as it is? If the group got into trouble you are in no condition to fight or run."

"So I'll take Jalen with me, she needs to go anyway since you have to search for the auras, and if things get rushed she can flame us out or I can change and flame myself out," Harry looked smug, thinking that he had it all figured out.

Ria couldn't argue with either point, but something about letting Harry, or anyone, go didn't sit right with her. She tried to reason to herself that the uneasiness merely came from the knowledge that she wouldn't be going with them. When Mutt began speaking again, she quickly shoved her worries to the back of her mind.

"So I'll brief Sneak on this, but who will take your place Ria?"

"I think either Ginny or Draco would be the best to take on your team. The Marauders can be another search team, taking Devlin with them. Maybe Lily, Padfoot, Moony, and whoever doesn't accompany the Bandits as the third team with Jada accompanying them."

"Alright, I'll call a meeting for tomorrow evening."

Harry held up a hand, stopping Mutt from leaving, "Only tell those who will be on the teams, Neville, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. We will bring in others if needed."

"Actually bring the Lestrange girl in on this. She's not going to betray us and she may have some useful information."

Both Harry and Mutt looked at Ria, then shrugged, trusting her decision for now. Mutt left the room, intent on getting everything ready for the meeting, he needed to go over some maps and do some last minute research, actually he could get Sneak to do the research, anyway he had a lot to do.

As Mutt left the room Harry and Ria went back to what they were discussing before hand, "So Severus still can't figure out what Voldemort was planning?"

"No Harry, he can't. I'm almost beginning to think that part of it was merely rumors trying to get us to act carelessly."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "You could be right. Well there's nothing we can do until we have more information."

Ria stood, "Well I'm going to go spend time with Cuil, he's starting to speak now, soon he'll be walking."

She walked out of the room, leaving Harry lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. In the hallway she saw Sirius and let him know that she and Harry were done with their meeting. He made his way to the room, shutting and locking the door, causing Ria to grimace and look for her husband. Remus was in their room reading, but he looked up as soon as Ria walked in.

"Hey baby, all done with your meeting?"

"Yes. Where's Cuil?"

"Taking his nap," Remus shifted on the bed to make room for Ria to lie down.

She curled into his side, "Read to me Rem?"

He settled on his back, propped up by pillows, and began to read aloud. Ria let his voice wash over her, slowly drifting to sleep. Remus's heartbeat mixing with his voice a constant reassurance of life and love.


	31. Research and Family

Ria woke to the sound of baby giggles next to her and a young voice babbling a mixture of "Mama" and baby talk

_AN: Yes, it is an update. I have tried to get this out ASAP and hopefully I will be able to finish the next chapter in about two week or so. This story is winding down; I would say only 7 or 8 chapters left. Then I will spend my time on the other two stories. I'm not sure if after I finish those two I will write anymore. Also for those who read The Finished Story, I am taking requests for what parts of life you may want to see. As always I plead for you to review, it makes me feel good, and I need that right now with term winding down._

_**Research and Family**_

Ria woke to the sound of baby giggles next to her and a young voice babbling a mixture of "Mama" and baby talk. Her hand found the top of Cuil's head, running through his now thick head of brown hair, "Hey Cuil, how's my sweet little man doing."

Chubby baby fingers grabbed her hair as Ria sat up and pulled him into her lap. Remus slid onto the bed behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. The small family shared a peaceful moment together, not letting any worries from the outside invade the tranquility of their rooms. Cuil laughed within his mother's arms as his father tickled him, and babbled to both his parents. With their encouragement he even tried to take his first steps, but he was not quite stable enough.

When Lily knocked on the door to tell the three that dinner was ready, both Remus and Ria were sad to see their time together end since it was so rare recently, but dinner was to be eaten with everyone who was healthy enough to attend. Eventually Ria and Remus curled up together on their bed later that night, kissing slowly.

--

The next morning Harry and Sneak were in the library at Headquarters looking at the most recent books, trying to see if an unexplainable power spike had registered in the past 30 years. They had found back in their old world that the dates of creation for Horcruxes had corresponded to magical fluctuations that had no other explanation.

"Did you find anything Harry?" Sneak looked across the table at her friend, waiting for him to surface from the book he was reading.

"Yeah, I found one about 30 years ago, but nothing since."

"Hmm…" Sneak looked thoughtful at that statement, "Keep looking Harry. I have to go talk to Ria. I'll send Cassie in to help you," and with that Sneak was out the door of the library.

Five minutes later, about, Cassie had poked her head in the library, "Harry, Sneak said that you needed some help researching."

"Yes, start with that pile of books," Harry pointed to Sneak's abandoned pile, "Look for any unexplained magical spikes between 1950 and the present. Write it down with the date, time it started, how long it lasted, and its focal point."

Cassie nodded and got to work, burying herself in the texts in front of her. These were books she hadn't yet seen in doing other research for the Order. As she opened the text Cassie spared a thought to her situation and couldn't be happier.

--

Ria put her book down when she heard knocking on the door to her chambers, she quickly untangled her fingers from Remus's hair, and slipped off the bed while trying not to wake Remus. She smiled when she saw Sneak standing there, and gestured her into the office off to the side of the room.

"Hey Shadow. Harry and I were doing the research for the horcruxes and I want to run an idea by you before talking to Harry and getting everyone's hopes up."

"What did you find out?"

"Well from your descriptions of what Voldemort looked like and the fact that we can't find any evidence that he has made any horcruxes in over thirty years, I think that if he has any, there are less than the six that we faced in our world."

Ria sighed, "Wouldn't that be wonderful? No invincible Voldemort to deal with."

Sneak nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah it would. Well I'll let you go and prepare for the full moon tonight."

"Thanks Sneak. Let Harry know which horcruxes you think are still in existence. I'll see everyone in the morning."

--

Lily and James came to get Cuil as the sun was setting, even if the wolf was no longer a threat to him it would be too traumatic to see his father change, and they wished luck to Remus for his transformation. Severus had delivered his potion earlier in the day, so Remus lay on the bed waiting for the transformation to start, Ria held tightly in his arms. For the first time in a long while Shadow would be able to join Moony on the night of the full moon.

Remus's groan of pain alerted them both that the moon had risen. Both climbed off the bed, Remus removed the last of his clothing, and Ria slipped seamlessly into her animagus form. The loud cracking of bones resounded in the room, and Remus fell to all fours, letting out a pained whimper. Shadow crept closer and nuzzled the half-wolf that was now in the room.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a fully formed werewolf stood in the room, blinking its eyes. He moved stiffly over to where Shadow had retreated in order not to be hurt by the wolf lashing out during the last part of the transformation, and carefully sniffed her before licking the top of her head. Almost twice the size as Shadow, it was easy for Moony to nudge her onto the bed and curl around her, laying his head on top of her neck, and occasionally licking her fur. Eventually Shadow drifted off to sleep, much to the happiness of her mate, and Moony soon followed.

Neither woke until the moon began to set and Moony began to morph back into Remus. Once the change was complete, Ria was quick to supply him with healing potions. She quickly got him tucked into the bed and quietly slipped out of the room to grab some breakfast. After the two ate, Ria pulled Remus to her and let him sleep while she worked on some research in preparation for the meeting tomorrow.


	32. Planning the Hunt

It was a group of yawning men and women that took their places around the table in the meeting room at Order Headquarters the m

_AN: Another chapter finally posted. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, especially my new reviewers, it really means a lot to me that you care enough to take the minute out of your life and give me feedback. Thanks to one reviewer, who was anonymous, I realized that I do not have enough Harry in this story, I am trying to fix that in both this chapter, the future chapters, and the revisions in Time to Heal. Also I'm looking for a beta reader for one or all of my stories, let me know if you are interested._

_As always please review. Reviews are amazing and will be answered ASAP._

_Until next time,_

_Aria_

_"Parseltounge"_

"Regular talking"

**Planning the Hunt**

It was a group of yawning men and women that took their places around the table in the meeting room at Order Headquarters the morning after the full moon. Harry and Ron stood at the head of the table, watching the people come in, finding themselves more confident in Ria's selection of searchers. 'Mione was going to address the people first, and explain the theories behind the horcruxes before Ron and Harry laid out the plans for the search.

An air of excitement permeated the room when 'Mione stood to address the gathered group, though both Remus and Moony had their heads laid on the table, barely able to stay awake this early the morning after the moon. Harry and Sirius stood together in the back of the room, watching the proceedings and leaning against each other so that one whole side of their bodies touched. Draco and Ginny sat near their friends, watching the people they were about to trust their lives to. Neville was out of the hospital wing by this time and was sitting in on the meeting, even though he had not been assigned to a search party.

With the group settled in various positions around the room, 'Mione began to speak, "As many of you know, in the other world, Voldemort had managed to make six different horcruxes. We are unsure if he has tried the same feat here. Cassie and I have found only three unexplained power surges in the 40 years, so we will be working with the impression that there are only three horcruxes for us to find and destroy.

"For those of you who do not what horcrux is, the best way to describe it is to say that it is the blackest piece of magic that can be made. A horcrux is a storage container for a piece of soul. To split a soul a wizard must first kill a person, and then perform a dark ritual that splits a soul. In our dimension Voldemort split his soul into seven fragments, six horcruxes and the piece in his body. This splitting will drive a person to insanity.

"The soul fragments can be used to tie a person to the mortal plane even if their body has died. So if Voldemort has these we must destroy them before he can be killed. Hopefully he will have none, but so far it looks like he has done it three times."

'Mione sat down next to Ria who was next to her husband and began to watch the faces of the others in the room as they processed the information they had been given. Those from 'Mione's home dimension merely looked contemplative, glad that there appeared to be less horcruxes than at home. The others had looks on their faces that ranged from shocked that an item like a horcrux could exist to understanding about why it was so hard to kill Voldemort.

Ron and Harry stood up, preparing to give the instructions about the search to the teams, "Now each team will be given two likely coordinates to search for a horcrux. If you find one you are not to try and destroy it, the back lash would most likely kill you or at the very least drain most of your magic and leave you unable to be of any aid in the next phase of this war. No team will be sent out without at least one experienced hunter on it."

Harry continued the explanation, "If the first two coordinates don't pan out you will then be given two other coordinates to check over. These sweeps need to be completely thorough and done very discreetly because if Voldemort catches on we will not be able to search like this again. If you find something send a patronus to Ria and she will then relay the message to Harry who will then meet your team, confirm the find, and destroy the horcrux."

Then Ron added, "In order to aid your search for the item Hermione, 'Mione, Remus, and Ria have managed to make a device that will detect traces of dark magic. We are unsure exactly how high the horcruxes will be on the scale, but they will register very high since this is some of the darkest magic possible."

Harry stood and gave a fierce look to the members sitting at the table, "This mission is top secret. Do not, under any circumstances, tell anyone about it. There is a leak within the Order and we can't let this mission get out or Voldemort will attack us at every available opportunity and with greater force than any of you has likely seen. The most deaths in our world came while we were trying to destroy the horcruxes."

He continued on, "You have all been chosen because you are the best warriors in this Order and I expect you to behave that way. Think your actions through, be extremely careful in the situations that you encounter, and do not be afraid to ask for assistance from other groups that have been assigned this mission. Dismissed."

The members of the Order scattered to go prepare for their missions, leaving only Harry and Ria in the room. Ria turned to her brother and hissed. Harry, though slightly startled by his sister's use of parseltongue, understood why she used it. It had been a habit they had developed while at Hogwarts in order to keep their conversations secret.

_"Harry, are you sssure that this will work?"_

_"Sssisster dear, I am almost positive that the teamsss will be able to find and destroy the horcruxess, if they find them."_

_"Then the final plan will go into effect and then we can go home."_

_"Yesss Ria. The end will come sssoon enough. I have a feeling that it may be easier than our final battle."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because there will not be a battle. Instead I will jussst kill him and it will be over."_

_"I don't think it will be quite that easy brother. He hasss a sssystem set up in thisss world, and it probably includes for any eventuality, like his death. For all we know he hasss an heir."_

_"Well get Ssseveruss to find out for usss and we will update the plansss assss more information comesss to usss."_

Ria switched back into English, "Thanks Harry. Let me know before you head out." She stood and made her way back to her room.

Harry, on the other hand, went off to find his best friend. Ron was in the library, pouring over maps of Great Britain. Little red marks on the maps showed strongholds of Death Eaters, blue ones showed the possible locations of horcruxes, if a horcrux was found the spot would turn black, yellow spots showed colonies that were friendly to Order forces, green showed enemy colonies, and grey showed neutral colonies.

Ron looked up when Harry entered the room and Harry explained his conversation with Ria and the concerns it brought up. Ron immediately jotted down some ideas that came to him about the problem and some questions that he would want answered.

"Harry, I'll look into this and give Ria any questions that I need Severus or Regulus to answer. We may also want to try the prisoners."

"I'll have Remus and a few of the men not going on the search question the prisoners."

"All right. I'm off to say my goodbyes to 'Mione, since we'll be on different teams at first."

"See you."

Ron and Harry departed the library and went to find their significant others in order to say their goodbyes before tomorrow came.


	33. The Set Up

_**AN: OMG, I am so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I am a senior in college and have been super, super busy with my senior paper and applying to graduate schools and trying to find a job. This is not the greatest chapter ever written, it is mostly a build up to the next chapters (finally some action). I can't promise when I'll get the next chapter written, but I will promise that I will work on it as much as possible in the coming weeks. Until then please enjoy and review, for reviews make me happy and I write more when I'm happy.**_

**The Set Up**

In the cool grey of dawn, Order members were emerging quietly from their rooms, careful not to disturb the general silence that fell over Headquarters before breakfast. Each emerging member was tense with excitement and nervousness, for the end of the war loomed in the distance closer than it had ever been before. Finding the horcruxes gave hope to the searchers that their futures were not going to be as bleak as their present is.

The Bandits and their team met the searchers in the kitchen. After breakfasts had been hurriedly and quietly eaten, Harry stood at the head of the table, "Today you all head out to find items which may be the most important discoveries of your lives. Over the next few days you will be searching for the very items that would allow Voldemort to fall. Together we can do this, and soon this war will be over. A new beginning lies in front of all of us, and what you are about to do opens the door for us.

As you remember, each team will leave in intervals, 20-30 minutes apart. Apparate at least twice before you reach your final destination. Rooms at motels have been set up at some of the locations, other places you will be camping, and each team leader has been briefed on what awaits their team at the final point. Good luck teams. Be careful and come back safe."

The first team rose, lead by Ginny, and walked out of the kitchen, heads held high and hope present in the very way they walked. It was like that for each of the teams. They felt that this was getting close to the end. Voldemort would soon be taken care of, and maybe they would have a chance to live free. Harry left with the last team. Only Remus, Ria, and Hermione remained sitting in the kitchen at 8:00, 2 hours after the first group left. Cuil's cries broke the silence, and Ria left to tend to him. Remus and Hermione nodded at each other, there was no need for words between the two comrades, and separated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ria settled onto her chair, Cuil playing on the floor by her feet, giggling in his soft voice. She sighed; she was bored here at headquarters. The horcrux teams had gone off, and with them went her brother, most of her team, and her favorite sparring partners. At this point she was almost hoping for a vision, at least then she wouldn't feel so useless. If she was bored enough then pranks were approaching in the near future.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry stumbled a bit when his team landed right outside of Little Hangleton. Their search area was the one that Hermione and Remus had calculated as the most likely to contain a horcrux. After all, Voldemort had come here straight out of school in order to confront his father, and that was when he had access to Slytherin's ring and the Gaunt house. They also knew that that much of the story hadn't changed, given the large, unexplained magic burst that had been recorded.

The team began to set up camp about three miles from the center of town, deep in the woods so that they had cover, from the scouting reports Neville had decided that this area was not safe enough to stay in town, and Harry had acquiesced to his leadership. Harry sent two of the team members into the town to check out any activity while the other two people scouted the house itself, testing for traps, hexes and jinxes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the country James's team landed and, disguised with a recently invented version of polyjuice potion, that allowed the wearer to mix more than one person's DNA within the potion, checked into a small inn that had managed to remain open, though it was only for magical patrons. They managed to get three rooms, two adjoining and one across the hall. Once settled in their rooms the team headed down to the hotel restaurant in order to have dinner. Both Harry and Hermione had stressed the need for the team to behave as 'normally' as possible in order to avoid suspicion from the locals.

Once they were done eating the men stayed downstairs and had a few light drinks and the women sat at a table discussing plans to go shopping and sightseeing the next day. At about 9:00 the group began to retire. The next day they would begin their scans of the area, looking for any residual dark magic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily and Peter's teams were following up on the last lead; one that the Bandits were almost certain would prove correct. It appeared that Voldemort had returned to his orphanage at relatively the same time as he did in the other world, corresponding with a surge of dark magic and records of heavy wards being placed. The certainty of the research team had led to the decision to send two teams to the location.

Lily's team was to be placed in a secure location, about four miles from town. The muggle underground had an abandoned building they used in emergencies there, and the team would be using it for this mission. Peter and his team had gotten rooms at three different hotels in the area. They would only be staying in town for the night, as this town was not one for tourists, and it would look suspicious if they stayed longer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Padfoot's team was located in the least probable spot for a horcrux, in the middle of a forest in Scotland. They would be scouting the area slowly and carefully, trying to detect any wards that would indicate the presence of dark magic. While the team was in place they were also told to look for any useable potions ingredients. Most harvesting areas were heavily guarded by Death Eaters, letting Voldemort have a monopoly on all ingredients sold to any potions master. However, this forest was thought to have been ruined in some of the great battles of the war, so the Order was hoping that they would be able to find some ingredients.


	34. The First Horcrux

_**AN: I know. Apologies just aren't enough. The good news is that I am into graduate school, registered for classes, and home for the summer. I should have more time to write. Thanks for sticking with the story for so long. I think it will be wrapped up in a few more chapters. At that point I will work on The New Marauder, A Finished Story, and Moon Children (my newest story). **_

_**For this chapter you need to remember that the Hermione and Ron from the Bandits' original dimension are referred to as Mutt and Sneak. All translations thanks to .com and .**_

**The First Horcrux**

_What you got, what you want, what you need, _

_gonna be your savior _

_Everything's gonna crash and break_

_but I know, yeah, I know_

_What you got, what you want, what you need, _

_gonna be your savior _

_Everything's gonna crash and break,_

_your savior_

_-Savior by Skillet_

Harry and his team began their search slowly. They started at the Gaunt house, circling the property carefully, trying to feel any wards that had been set. When the two halves of the team met halfway around the property, they compared their findings. They found that were some very old and powerful wards surrounding the house, something that led credence to the belief that there was a horcrux located within the house.

Bill Weasley, Harry's ward expert, began to study the wards further in depth. His goal was to find a way through the wards without bringing them down completely or alerting Voldemort to the fact that some one had entered the house. While he began to cast scanning charms toward the wards, the others set up watch posts around the property. It wouldn't do for some wandering with or wizard to stumble upon them.

Six hours later the magic that Bill was holding fell. Bill slumped to the ground exhausted. Usually these types of wards would take days to examine fully, since each spell needed could drain a wizard. Since the group did not have that kind of time, Bill had risked magical exhaustion to figure out the complex natures of each ward.

Harry and Charlie Weasley walked over to the exhausted Bill. Charlie carried a plate of the dinner the group had prepared. They waited patiently as Bill ate his fill. Once he was done Bill turned to Harry.

"Harry, those wards are some of the most complex and powerful ones that I've seen. He has magic detectors built in, as well as ones to keep track of every animal that passes by. There are ways to get past them and through to the house, but it will take a day or two, with multiple casters, to separate the wards enough for you to sneak past them."

Harry nodded his head to show he understood, "Don't worry Bill. We'll start tomorrow. Tonight, once you feel up to it, can you show the needed spells to the others?"

Bill nodded. He accepted Charlie's offered hand, and stood slowly. The three walked back over to the camp, and Harry signaled for the others to return. Bill spent the time before sunset teaching spells to the other members of the group.

"The most important spell for all of you to learn is one that will allow you to see wards. The incantation is _separi e mostri il colore della protezione_, and should be accompanied by a flick of your wand in a clockwise motion above your eyes. Each ward should show up as a different color.

First we must separate the ward designed to detect magic, which will show up as silver. With that ward in place anything else we do will be detected and Voldemort will know that something is going on. Charlie and Hermione are going to be responsible for this. The next ward to be held is the one to detect general movement. This is be the most difficult one to hold since it must be done very delicately and it is extremely powerful, it will be revealed as blue magic. Fleur, Luna, and Moony will hold that one. The last ward will appear as a blood-red curtain. It detects the blood of the passer. It is the most dangerous ward, but the easiest to get around. All we have to do is confuse it. I can convince it that Harry is of Voldemort's blood long enough for him to get through and then out.

Harry, you must proceed slowly through each ward or else your magic could throw ours off and we could be detected. After you are in the house we will drop our spells. When you are ready to leave, wave at us through the window and we will resume the spells."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood their jobs. Bill went to each of the groups, showing them the spells that they would need and making them practice each spell repeatedly. It was an exhausted group that fell into their sleeping bags that night.

The next morning brought with it a heavy rain. Harry would have seen it as a bad sign, but he knew the weather in Great Britain and expected rain nearly every day. It would actually be helpful, encouraging people to remain indoors for the day to avoid getting soaked. His team was faced with a smaller chance of detection.

They made their way back to the Gaunt house. Charlie and Hermione swished their wands to each side twice and stated in unison, "_abiungo magus deprehensio._" The first line of wards separated. Moony, Fleur, and Luna then stepped forward and brought their wands upwards seven times before chanting, "_extollo deprehensio of tractus_." They all watched as the next set of wards rose off of the ground. Finally Bill stepped forward. He touched his wand to Harry's arm, before twirling it in a complex series of motions, repeating, "_agnosco is veneficus ut veneficus of cruor falsidicus hic_," as Harry walked carefully through the openings left to him.

Once he was through the last wards and at the front door of the house, Harry felt the wards settle back into place. He cautiously let his magic extend to the door, checking for any hexes that may have been left for an intruder. He found none and slowly opened the door. Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly let his magic search for the taint of a horcrux. There, under the floorboards he felt it. This was the Gaunt ring.

Harry moved until he was standing over the spot he felt it under. He stiffly kneeled and began to pry the floorboards lose. Two of them had been sealed with sticking charms, and he had to remove those. Eventually he was staring at the first of the Horcruxes. He knew better than to touch it. He pointed his wand and drew a circle in the dirt surrounding the ring and cast the modified version of fiendfyre that Sneak had come up with during their previous horcrux hunts, "_circumscription fiendfyre."_

He watched as the ring was consumed by the dangerous blaze and then burned out. Slowly and painfully he made his way to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. He walked over to the window and waved at Bill. Bill gave the signal and the groups lifted the wards. Harry carefully limped through the gaps, nodding at the goups once he was through.

They returned to camp and packed up all evidence of their presence. Harry turned to his team, "The first horcrux is destroyed. Bill and I will continue to the next team. You will all return to headquarters and tell Remus and Ria that the mission was successful and the heir ring was destroyed."

Each team member nodded at him and disapparated back to headquarters. Harry grabbed Bill's arm and apparated them to meet Lily's and Peter's teams.

_Tanslations (the best I can do):_

_separi e mostri il colore della protezione (Italian)- separate and show the color of the proctection_

_abiungo magus deprehensio (Latin)- separate magic detector_

_extollo deprehensio of tractus (Latin)- raise up the detector of movement_

_agnosco is veneficus ut veneficus of cruor falsidicus hic (Latin)- recognize this magic as the magic of the blood lying here_

_circumscription fiendfyre (Latin)- contained fiendfyre_


	35. The Fire Begins

_**AN: OMG. I can't believe I only got one review for the last chapter. I know it has been ages since my last update, but please continue to show your support by leaving a review. I truly appreciate it. FYI… I'm estimating another 3-5 chapters left for this story. Also I am sorry this took so long, grad school is certainly very busy. My computer also died, so I had to wait for them to recover all my files, which thankfully worked. I am trying to update all my stories ASAP.**_

_We didn't start the fire_

_It was always burning_

_Since the world was turning_

_- We didn't start the fire by Billy Joel_

The Fire Begins

In a way, greed was funny. Greed could, and would, twist a man's mind. Once you let greed consume you, there was no recovery, and it would be your downfall. It may take years for the demise to come, but it eventually arrived and make sure that you were left with nothing. In death every man is equal, left with nothing but a failing body. You could not take what you most desired with you to the next life, if there was one. From greed came arrogance. Once you had what you desired you believed that nothing would take it away.

Tom Riddle was intimately familiar with greed by the time he went to Hogwarts. He craved goods first, but then he became greedy for control, power, and finally life. And, though he did not know it yet, his greed would be what ended his life. The horcruxes would be his eventual downfall, in this reality and in others, because a split soul was easier to destroy. It was easier because Tom Riddle did not believe anyone but him knew about horcruxes and how to destroy them. So he hid them in obvious places, without much protection, after all he was the greatest dark lord ever.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny hated waiting; she always had and always would. Her older brothers had almost forced patience on her, treating her like she was much younger, restricting the things she could do. Now she sat in a hotel, playing young wife to another Order member, waiting for Harry to show up. Everybody on both teams was anxious to get out of the danger that they were facing.

After only a day of searching the area around the orphanage where Riddle grew up, Lily and Peter's teams had, with her help, identified a horcrux. It was unmistakable, the feel of it brushing against her soul. Like Harry, Ginny had a connection to Riddle, the diary had insured it, and so it was easy for her to sense a piece of his soul. When Bill and Harry arrived it would be one less dark taint on the world. Once it had been discovered the two teams had met in the forest outside town, setting up a temporary camp.

She had only seen a horcrux destroyed once, and it had been an exhilarating experience in her eyes. She had finally been able to hurt Lord Voldemort as much as he had hurt her. This Voldemort had not hurt her, but he had nearly destroyed two of her best friends and her commanders. As his horcrux burned Ginny would laugh.

She had been sent out to a clearing in the forest to wait for the two. Ginny had to wait for two hours before Bill and Harry appeared in the forested clearing where the teams were waiting anxiously for them. Both of the men stumbled when they arrived, still exhausted from destroying the first of the horcruxes. The two teams quickly whisked the men off to the camp.

Once the men were at the camp, installed in one of the tents eating dinner, Lily and Peter debriefed them. "Ginny has assured us that the Dark magic present in the area is from a horcrux. We have been able to ascertain that it is hidden on the upper floor of the orphanage. We have not been able to approach that floor."

Peter cleared his throat and continued where Lily had left off, "There is at least four different wards present here. One is a blood ward, but that is all we were able discern. There is also an extra dark spell cast on the floor. None of us were able to deduce what the spell does, though Ginny has said that it felt familiar."

Harry nodded his head at the group, "Well, at least we found one. Tomorrow morning Bill and I will take a look at the orphanage itself and see what we can find."

Bill sighed tiredly, "I don't think I will be able to do anything with the wards for another few days. My magic is drained from the last set."

"Ok then," Harry agreed, "we will take the wards down in three days. Until then, stay out of sight and well hidden. Lily, send a report to HQ and let them know that we are here and when we will attempt to bypass the wards. Peter, contact the next group and let them know that Bill and I should be joining with them by the end of the week."

With those orders given the group split up, going back to their own camouflaged tents that dotted the area. Peter, Bill, and Harry remained in the command tent and set up their cots for the night. The next dew days were spent in recovery for Bill. Harry and his team from home, through Jalen, were laying out the last of their plans for the final stand. This time it would be on their terms, not Voldemort's, and that, they hoped, would lower the casualties.

Three days after their arrival, in the fading light, Bill and Harry, along with the teams, approached the orphanage that Tom Riddle grew up in. It was falling apart, dark and cold. Almost immediately Bill felt the different wards flare to life. He turned to Harry and nodded his head, he could take care of this easily, they were the same ones that were on the Gaunt house, and his magic now recognized them. The last ward Bill did not recognize, but he said that it was not an active one. Bill spent the time before sunset teaching spells to the other members of the group.

"The most important spell for all of you to learn is one that will allow you to see wards. The incantation is _separi e mostri il colore della protezione_, and should be accompanied by a flick of your wand in a clockwise motion above your eyes. Each ward should show up as a different color.

First we must separate the ward designed to detect magic, which will show up as silver. With that ward in place anything else we do will be detected and Voldemort will know that something is going on. Peter and Ginny are going to be responsible for this. The next ward to be held is the one to detect general movement. This is be the most difficult one to hold since it must be done very delicately and it is extremely powerful, it will be revealed as blue magic. Lily, Fred, and George will hold that one. The last ward will appear as a blood-red curtain. It detects the blood of the passer. It is the most dangerous ward, but the easiest to get around. All we have to do is confuse it. I can convince it that Harry is of Voldemort's blood long enough for him to get through and then out.

Harry, you have already done this once, but please remember that you must proceed slowly through each ward or else your magic could throw ours off and we could be detected. After you are in the house we will drop our spells. When you are ready to leave, wave at us through the window and we will resume the spells."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood their jobs. Bill went to each of the groups, showing them the spells that they would need and making them practice each spell repeatedly. It was an exhausted group that fell into their sleeping bags that night.

The next morning was heavily cloudy and cold. It would help them avoid detection, though this time they were waiting until twilight to move into the orphanage.

They made their way back to the orphanage house. Peter and Ginny swished their wands to each side twice and stated in unison, "_abiungo magus deprehensio._" The first line of wards separated. Lily, Fred, and George then stepped forward and brought their wands upwards seven times before chanting, "_extollo deprehensio of tractus_." They all watched as the next set of wards rose off of the ground. Finally Bill stepped forward. He touched his wand to Harry's arm, before twirling it in a complex series of motions, repeating, "_agnosco is veneficus ut veneficus of cruor falsidicus hic_," as Harry walked carefully through the openings left to him.

Once he was through the last wards and at the front door of the building, Harry felt the wards settle back into place. He cautiously let his magic extend to the door, checking for any hexes that may have been left for an intruder. He found none and slowly opened the door. Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly let his magic search for the taint of a horcrux. There, up the stairs, he felt the pull. He followed it upward and headed to room all the way in the back.

Once in the room he headed straight for the old wardrobe at the side of the room. He opened it but could not see anything, though he knew the horcrux was there. Carefully he ran his hands along the sides, back, and bottom of the thing. Finally he felt a dip in the wood that his fingers fit into. He pulled, and a board popped free. Lying in the dust was Ravenclaw's diadem.

Harry raised his wand to set the horcrux on fire when the building shook. He looked out the door and saw, to his horror, child inferi coming from the other rooms. Harry cursed and quickly cast the fiendfyre spell, "_circumscription fiendfyre," _making sure to include the entirety of the orphanage in the area.

He discarded his cane, banged on the window, both to alert the others that he was coming out and to open it. Taking a deep breath, Harry jumped. He used a cushioning charm to soften the blow of landing, and hobbled quickly to the edge of the first ward. As quickly as he could Harry made his way back to the other side of the wards, and slumped into Ginny's arms as his leg gave out. He watched to make sure that no inferi escaped the burning building, before letting himself be carted off to the camp.

_Tanslations (the best I can do):_

_separi e mostri il colore della protezione (Italian)- separate and show the color of the proctection_

_abiungo magus deprehensio (Latin)- separate magic detector_

_extollo deprehensio of tractus (Latin)- raise up the detector of movement_

_agnosco is veneficus ut veneficus of cruor falsidicus hic (Latin)- recognize this magic as the magic of the blood lying here_

_circumscription fiendfyre (Latin)- contained fiendfyre_


	36. Almost There

_AN: Okay, yeah I know, it's been ages since I have updated. The only excuses I can offer are that real life has been shit recently. Between my own classes, teaching other classes, grading, and getting a new dog (who, by the way is awesome and cute) writing has just gotten away from me. The good news is that I now know how to finish this story, so I'm hoping that I can get more time to write and complete it. As for my other stories, I have new chapters for New Marauder and Moon Children in the works, but this is my priority as far as fanfics go._

_Lastly, I want to thank everyone for their continuing support. As always it would be nice to get reviews from the readers. Now on to Chapter 36!_

**Almost There**

_When the chips are down_

_Back against the wall_

_Got no more to give_

_Cause we gave it all_

_Seems like going a distance is unrealistic_

_But we're too far from the start_

_So we take what comes, And we keep on going_

_Leaning on each others shoulders_

_Then we turn around_

_And see we've come so far somehow_

_We're halfway there_

_We're looking good now_

_Nothing's gonna get in the way_

_How are you Ever Gonna Reach the Stars_

_If you Never Get off the Ground_

_And You'll Always be Way you are_

_If you Never Let Life Knock you Down_

_We're halfway there_

_We're looking good now_

_Nothing is going get in the way_

_We're halfway there_

_And looking back now_

_Never thought that I'd ever say_

_We're Halfway There_

_-"Halfway there" Big Time Rush_ (I know, I know, stupid Nickelodeon)

Harry had passed out from the pain in his leg before they had made it back to camp. Ginny quickly took charge, ordering the campsite to be packed up and the teams, including Bill and Harry, back to headquarters. She knew that Harry and Bill were supposed to meet the next team tomorrow, but she did not know where the third team was located, nor could she find out, so she did the next best thing and got them out of harms way. Lily sent a message in advance to warn headquarters that they were coming and that Harry may need Poppy's attention when they arrived.

While Hermione and Poppy received warning, Ria was not prepared for the next team to arrive so quickly after the first, and she was definitely shocked to see Harry and Bill among them. She rushed forward, trying to see what brought them back early. Once she had taken in an unconscious Harry and a semi-conscious Bill, she had Hermione and Poppy take the two to the infirmary. She then turned her attention to the leaders of the group, "Lily, Ginny, Peter meet me in two hours for a debriefing."

The three nodded at her, and then left for their respective rooms to shower and prepare for the meeting. Ria followed Poppy and Hermione back to the infirmary. After spending a few minutes checking out the patients, Hermione informed her that it was merely shock and exhaustion that had caused Bill and Harry so many problems. Ria left and went to alert the other team that Harry and Bill were going to arrive a day behind schedule.

An hour later Harry was awake and arguing with Poppy in order to get out of the infirmary. He wanted to be in on the debriefing and planning of the next few missions. Eventually Poppy did agree to let him out, as long as he returned that evening to get one last checkup.

As soon as he was released he went to find to his sister. She was in her room with Cuil, trying to teach him to walk. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and totally relaxed as he watched them together.

He sighed, "I think this has gone on long enough." His voice startled Ria where she was sitting, "What has gone on long enough?

"Voldemort being alive. Why can't he just have a heart attack or something?"

Ria laughed, "Because he is evil. Evil never dies. Unless you chop of its head and cut it into little bits (1)."

"Yeah, well, I think we have a plan for that."

Ria smirked, "Do share brother."

It was Harry's turn to smirk, "Soon, little sister, soon. After the debriefing."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Fine, be that way."

Later that evening, after the situation with the horcruxes had been explained, the group of people from the original universe was gathered in the large common room that their bedrooms circled, excepting Severus and Draco, who were still undercover at Hogwarts. Hermione pulled out a graph and the blueprints of Hogwarts.

She began to speak, "In a month's time there will be a gathering at Hogwarts to celebrate the Death Eater victory over the Light forces. If the horcruxes are destroyed, then this is the best time to strike. We have an extensive map of Hogwarts as it is now. It will be possible for us to get in, take care of business, and get out."

Nods circulated around the table. "So what is the plan? How are we going to take them out?"

"Well, Neville, Ron and I think that the prophecy here was already fulfilled. Voldemort lived, past all the prophecy babies, so we don't need a large final showdown between Harry and him. In order to do this, we should go with a subtle way, maybe poison, to get rid of him. According to all our research we only have one more horcrux left to find. Severus is trying to find out just how many horcruxes this Voldemort made, once we receive conformation from him we will implement our plan."

Harry snorted, "that's all well and good Hermione, but you still haven't told us the plan."

Hermione blushed, "Right, the plan is that during the celebration at Hogwarts we basically destroy the upper echelons of the government in one go, using Severus's undetectable potion. Draco has already been put in charge of the preparation, meaning that our usual luck has kicked in, and he will let us know all the details of the meal.

Once the potion is in the Death Eater's system, it will take approximately 20 minutes for them to begin to feel the effects. This is where we'll come in. We need to make sure that none of the Death Eaters manage to make it out of the room, and that Draco and Severus receive the antidote, Ginny, Neville you two will be in charge of that. Harry, Ria, you two will be in charge of making sure Voldemort succumbs to the potion, applying extra force if necessary."

Remus hmmed in thought, "That all sounds like it will work, but what do we do afterwards?"

Sirius replied to that one "We go home. Once Voldemort is dead we have no need to stay. There are treaties already in place with the muggles, and Dumbledore and the prince can take care of the rest. It's time for us to go home. Cuil needs to be raised in a peaceful, settled environment, and I, for one, miss our world."

Nods of agreement ran around the table. Sirius was right; this world was soon to be no longer their concern. They wished the people here well, but their own world needed them more.

"Are we all in agreement with this plan?" Harry asked his fellows.

Sounds of agreement flowed from the group.

Ria spoke up, "As long as I get to cut of Voldemort's head." Grim smiles circled around the table.

The group stood and headed to their respective rooms. Soon, the thought ran through all their heads, they would be home. That was a thought worth smiling about.

_(1)- from a conversation that my roommate and I were having while she was helping me figure out this story. You all are lucky that I decided not to take it in her suggested direction- letting Voldemort have a heart attack, thus negating everything our characters have done._


	37. Chapter 37

_AN: Wow, started this a mere two days after finishing the last chapter and it's taken me months to even get close to finishing, which I haven't. This chapter moves focus away from the main group and back to our spies, Draco and Severus. This is really short, for which I apologize, I am still working on this story and this chapter and will try to update soon._

Severus found himself pacing his counter-parts quarters. Back and forth, back and forth. The movements soothed his nerves. He had received orders from his commanders, now he had to get the information to Draco and they had to pull this off, all before Voldemort went through with his major plan. If they failed, if one of the Death Eaters somehow detected the poison before it took affect, everything would come to naught. The worry was killing him, he had not been this stressed since before the end of his own war.

A knock sounded on his door. He straightened his robes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He strode over to the door and opened it. Voldemort stood on the other side.

"Severus, I have a job for you."

"Yes my Lord? Anything that I can do I will," Severus said with a half bow.

Voldemort smiled, "Good. As you know our celebration of our reign over Britain is to take place in two weeks. Young Draco ha been put in charge of the gathering, but I want you to be in charge of entertainment. You have always been good at finding the perfect specimens for decoration and the later _festivities_."

Severus managed to maintain his façade, "I am honored that you would think of me, my Lord. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, one other thing. I want you, while you are searching for decorations, to try and find the Potter twins. I wan them Severus, they need to suffer and die for causing us all this trouble. Find them Severus, and find them soon. You have a month."

Severus quickly bowed as Voldemort's voice became deadly, that was a tone he recognized from his previous spying days. "I will do everything in my power to find them before the start of the next month."

"Good," with that parting word Voldemort turned and left Severus's rooms.

Severus put his head in his hands and groaned quietly, mentally cursing the bad luck that seemed to follow the Potter twins. He would have to send them an update with this information included.

Severus would be glad when this was all over. He was ready to get back to his normal life. Maybe he would finally get out of teaching and open his own potions shop.

Hermione snatched the missive from Severus out of the raven's talons.

Reading it, she cursed quietly and ran to deliver it to Ron and Harry. They now had the date for the event, but an issue in keeping their spy's cover.

Harry drew in a sharp breath through his teeth when he read the report. This would make things more complicated. He hated asking Severus to maintain cover by capturing people to be tortured. It was a sacrifice that had to be made for the greater good (Harry shuddered just thinking that).

He scribbled a reply back:

_Severus,_

_We need you to go ahead with the retrieval. We are endeavoring to speed up our plans. We need you to set up a switch between the two Dracos._


End file.
